The event was attended by over 30 landowners, elected officials, partners, and ECBID
Directors and staff. Construction on the system began immediately after the event.
The project is a result of the funding included in the Capital Budget by the Washington
State Legislature in 2023. The $32.8M in appropriations was allocated to assist in the
planning, designing, engineering, development coordination, and construction of eligible
delivery systems in the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program (OGWRP) to
provide irrigation water to the acreage located within the Odessa Subarea Special
Study. Of the grant- eligible systems, the EL 86.4 system is the first to begin
construction. Final design approval was granted by the Bureau of Reclamation on
Friday, May 17. This project will also reduce the current normalized cost to landowners.
“This is a tremendous step forward for the OGWRP and our region. This project has
been a labor of love and many partners, elected officials, and landowners have come
together over several years to get us to this point. This is an excellent display of
collaboration, commitment, and dedication by all,” explained Tom Tebb, Director of the
Office of Columbia River, who was in attendance at the event.
“We have been working toward this moment for years, and on behalf of the ECBID
Board, I would like to thank everyone for their support and willingness to come together
to get us here. Everyone here brought the resources available to them for this project.
That level of collaboration and partnership is incredible, and I’m thrilled to celebrate this
moment with all of you,” explained ECBID Board President Duaine Anderson.
OGWRP is a regional effort to implement the Odessa Subarea Special Study
FEIS (2012), which is building the necessary infrastructure for farmers to exchange
valid, state-issued Odessa groundwater rights for Columbia Basin Project water. Since
2004, the State of Washington has invested more than $126 million, and the Bureau of
Reclamation more than $45 million, in the development and early implementation of the
OGWRP. The ECBID has also sold $16.8 million of landowner-funded municipal bonds
to fund the construction of OGWRP delivery facilities. The current OGWRP Watershed
Planning Project is building on these significant contributions.
“I remember this land from when I was a young boy and I’m grateful for the opportunity
to be a part of such tremendous progress. This is a significant milestone for this region,
our landowners, and our food system,” shared Washington State Representative Tom
Dent.
Located in central Washington State, the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District is the
largest district in the state, with authorization to irrigate 472,000 acres. Currently,
169,000 acres are developed and managed by 4,500 landowners within the federal
Columbia Basin Project. Additionally, the District is involved in the development of
87,000 acres associated with OGWRP. The District provides a reliable supply of water
that irrigates the cropland that produces food shipped domestically and internationally.
