The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced Regional Conservation Partnership Program awards and five Washington State entities received funding. Learn more at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/regional-conservation-partnership-program-2023-awarded-projects
Washington Projects
Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program EL 84.7 Landowner Extension Mainline
Lead Partner: Grant County Conservation District
Project Type: AFA
Funding Pool: CCA
CCA (if Applicable): Western Waters
Lead State: WA
Total Funding Request: $19,666,600.00
This project will complete one of the nine lateral systems in the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program located in Central Washington. The finished EL 84.7 lateral will replace groundwater irrigation with Columbia River surface water for a total of 7,138 acres currently relying on rapidly declining groundwater wells, thereby helping to prevent source water depletion. Drilling deeper wells or converting to dryland crops are economic risks and won’t sequester as much carbon as irrigated production can through biomass accumulation. By reducing the extraction from deep groundwater wells, the aquifer can recharge naturally over time, maintaining its long-term viability. This benefits the local communities who rely on it for their drinking water supply by ensuring a stable and reliable water supply for future generations.
Upper Yakima River Water Supply and Fish Habitat Improvements
Lead Partner: Kittitas County Conservation District
Project Type: Classic
Funding Pool: CCA
CCA (if Applicable): Western Waters
Lead State: WA
Total Funding Request: $17,804,878.00
The Upper Yakima River Water Supply and Fish Habitat Improvements project will address critical needs for integrated conservation and restoration of watersheds in the Upper Yakima River of Central Washington. This supports the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, a 30-year water resiliency plan to protect and enhance fish and natural resources, improve water availability and reliability, establish more efficient water markets, manage the variability of water supplies, and prepare for the uncertainties of climate change through operational and structural changes throughout the watershed. The Kittitas County Conservation District will k assist producers with on-farm and delivery irrigation practices and habitat practices to improve water use efficiency, water quality and fish habitat availability. This project will replace 6 irrigation diversion structures with fish friendly structures opening up 2 miles of habitat, install 3 acres of riparian habitat; realize over 1,000 acre/feet of annual water savings with 4 miles of
Absolute Enteric Methane Reductions in Washington State Dairies: A New Frontier on the Journey to Net Zero
Lead Partner: AGSPIRE INC.
Project Type: AFA
Funding Pool: S/M
CCA (if Applicable): N/A
Lead State: WA
Total Funding Request: $16,500,000.00
Agspire Inc’s Absolute Enteric Methane Reductions in Washington State Dairies project will help producers reduce and avoid greenhouse gas emissions. This project will generate a reduction of approximately 225,000 MTCO2e from enteric methane production in the NDA milkshed – lowering the GHG impact in the region, while providing producers in the milkshed with approximately $23 million in additional revenue from their use of 3-NOP. This reduction is equivalent to the carbon implications of taking 50,069 cars off the road, and it will come at no cost to production for the NDA milkshed, which produces over 9 million lbs. of milk annually and supplies over 1,900 jobs.
Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program EL 80.6 Landowner Extension Mainline
Lead Partner: Grant County Conservation District
Project Type: AFA
Funding Pool: CCA
CCA (if Applicable): Western Waters
Lead State: WA
Total Funding Request: $13,100,000.00
This project is part of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program located in the heart of the Columbia River Basin in Central Washington, with the goal to replace groundwater irrigation with Columbia River surface water for 5,222 acres of high-value irrigated farmland currently relying on the rapidly declining Odessa Subarea Aquifer, thereby helping to prevent source water depletion. Once constructed, this project would deliver Columbia Basin Project water from the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District’s canal to a total of 10 farms effectively removing 11 wells from pumping groundwater and conserving 15,888 acre-feet (5.1 billion gals) of water in the aquifer each year.
Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program EL 86.4 On-Farm Project
Lead Partner: Grant County Conservation District
Project Type: Classic
Funding Pool: CCA
CCA (if Applicable): Western Waters
Lead State: WA
Total Funding Request: $7,200,000.00
This project is part of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program (OGWRP) located in the heart of the Columbia River Basin in Central Washington. The goal of the Grant County Conservation District’s project is to replace groundwater irrigation with Columbia River surface water for 5,426 acres of high-value irrigated farmland currently relying on the rapidly declining Odessa Subarea Aquifer, thereby helping to prevent source water depletion. Without more reliable surface water, farmers will continue to be impacted by declining groundwater levels. The goal is to conserve as much of the remaining aquifer as possible for the 25 communities that rely on it for their drinking water supply. This project will build upon funding through the Washington State Legislature to build the EL 86.4 mainline, utilizing RCPP to complete on-farm infrastructure.