Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program
In recent years, CBCD has become an important partner helping to implement the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program (OGWRP). With funding and support from the Washington State Legislature through Department of Ecology's Office of Columbia River, CBCD has secured over $48 million from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service to help accelerate implementation of the OGWRP.
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To learn more about the OGWRP and our efforts to secure USDA-NRCS funding for the project, watch our new film "The Race to Rescue a Declining Aquifer in Central Washington" and visit the Odesssa Watershed Program website managed by CBCD at ogwrp-program.org.
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About the OGWRP
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The OGWRP is a regional effort to implement the Odessa Subarea Special Study FEIS, which is building the necessary infrastructure for farmers to exchange valid state-issued Odessa groundwater rights for Columbia Basin Project water.
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Groundwater supplies have been declining in the Odessa Subarea for many years putting the region at risk of losing this vitally important resource. Farmers that rely on water for their livelihoods and communities that rely on the aquifer for drinking water are beginning to realize what living without this vital resource would mean to the region.
The OGWRP consists of 3 main stages:
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Upgrades to create additional canal flow capacity that maximizes existing infrastructure.
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Construction of lateral delivery systems to convey water from the East Low Canal to lands that are eligible under the OGWRP.
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On-farm improvements to extend irrigation delivery to individual farms with cost efficiencies and conservation benefits.
Upgrades that have been completed to the main canal means it can now provide Columbia Basin Project water to pumping plants that will deliver water through laterals to farmlands within the project boundaries.
