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. 

The scoping period is the first major opportunity for public participation related to the watershed plan. The public is encouraged to submit their comments related to resource issues and anticipated effects associated with a NRCS federal investment towards the continued implementation of OGWRP. Your input helps ECBID, NRCS, and project partners to make informed decisions about the direction of the analysis and project funding.

Public comments may be submitted until August 9, 2024. 

Comments entered on this form will be considered in the watershed plan development and may be included in the public record.

Please note: Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Further information on the public involvement process can be found at the Council of Environmental Quality's Citizens Guide to NEPA.