Public Notice

Public Notice Announcing Scoping Meeting East Columbia Basin Irrigation District Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program

East Columbia Basin Irrigation District (ECBID) and project partners seek federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program, Public Law 83-566 (PL 83-566). These funds are needed to assist in the construction of surface water distribution systems that would replace acre-for-acre groundwater irrigation on 70,000 acres in the Odessa Subarea with 164,000 acre-feet of new Columbia River diversions. The distribution systems are part of the area’s Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program (OGWRP) that aims to reduce the declining groundwater levels in the Odessa Subarea aquifer, while supporting existing agricultural land use within ECBID in Central Washington.

To be eligible for PL 83-566 NRCS federal funding, ECBID and project sponsors are developing a Watershed Plan that will comply with PL 83-566 program requirements. ECBID is the project sponsor and Farmers Conservation Alliance is assisting NRCS-Washington, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Washington State Department of Ecology in this planning process.

You are invited to attend a public scoping meeting where your input is requested. The scoping meeting is the first major opportunity for public participation related to the Watershed Plan. At the meeting, participants will have an opportunity to submit their comments related to resource issues and anticipated effects associated with a NRCS federal investment towards the continued implementation of OGWRP.

Published June 26, 2024