Thurston County secures $2.4M Department of Ecology grant to buy TransAlta water rights for streamflow restoration
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Summary
Thurston County accepted a $2,406,457.46 grant from the Washington Department of Ecology to purchase TransAlta Water Bank rights and dedicate up to 840 acre-feet to instream flow for salmon recovery and climate resilience in the Skookumchuck and Chehalis rivers.
Thurston County announced on Dec. 16 that it will accept a $2,406,457.46 grant from the Washington Department of Ecology to acquire water rights from the TransAlta Water Bank. The purchase — negotiated by county staff — will secure up to 840 acre-feet of water rights dedicated permanently to in-stream flow in the Skookumchuck and Chehalis river systems.
What the grant does: The acquisition will increase instream flow for salmon recovery and climate resilience, offset permit-exempt well impacts from recent drought years and represents one of the state’s first climate-resilience water-rights projects under the Streamflow Restoration Act. County staff said the grant fully funds the purchase; no county match is required.
Board action: The board authorized the CPED director to execute the grant agreement and approved staff authority to make amendments that reallocate funds among tasks so long as changes do not exceed 10%.
Why it matters: The water-rights purchase establishes a permanent instream allocation intended to benefit migrating and rearing salmon and to bolster low-flow resilience. CPED will bring the purchase‑and‑sale agreement for the TransAlta rights back to the board in early 2026 for approval of acquisition documents.
Next steps: CPED will finalize the purchase-and-sale agreement with TransAlta, return to the board for acquisition approval and coordinate with Ecology on implementing the instream dedication and monitoring.
