EAST COLUMBIA BASIN IRRIGATION DISTRICT CELEBRATES MILESTONE GROUNDBREAKING OF EL 86.4 SYSTEM

Making a major step to address the region’s groundwater depletion, the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District (ECBID) and over 30 landowners, elected officials, and key partners celebrated the groundbreaking of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program’s (OGWRP) second system, the EL 86.4 system. Construction commenced immediately after the ceremony.

Funding for the EL 86.4 system is provided by $32.8 million in appropriations included in the 2023 Washington State Legislature Capital Budget and the system will bring irrigation water to acreage defined in the Odessa Subarea Special Study reducing landowner costs and providing more sustainable agriculture.

OGWRP is a crucial regional effort to ensure water availability into the future and maintain the region’s agricultural productivity by replacing Odessa groundwater with Columbia Basin Project water. Funding support for the program includes state funds of over $126 million, $45 million from the Bureau of Reclamation, and $16.8 million in municipal bonds from the ECBID.