Originally posted in the Dan Newhouse News Page:
https://newhouse.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/newhouse-applauds-major-investment-odessa-groundwater-replacement
Newhouse Applauds Major Investment in Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement after receiving notification that East Columbia Basin Irrigation District’s Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program (OGWRP) could receive up to $5 million through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO) Program Funding. $175 million of this overall funding was approved through FY21 Appropriations, which Republicans approved in December of 2020.
“I am delighted to announce this major funding for the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program, which I have advocated for since coming to Congress,” said Rep. Newhouse. “This new investment is a positive step forward to recharge the Odessa Aquifer and ensure our communities have sufficient water resources. I will continue to work with Central Washington community, and our federal, state, and local leaders to keep this project moving and further completion of the OGWRP and the Columbia Basin Project.”
Background:
The Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program will provide surface water from the Federal Columbia Basin Project (CBP) to replace groundwater from declining irrigation wells in the Odessa Subarea, reduce the risk of economic loss to the region’s agriculture sector relying on declining and/or failing groundwater wells, and provide relief to the declining water levels in the Odessa subarea aquifer.
Rep. Newhouse has consistently advocated for funding for this project through his role on the Appropriations Committee. In 2018, he secured nearly $2 million for this project.
