Cantwell Announces Stimulus Funding To Ensure Adequate Water Supply for Columbia Basin Project
Potholes Supplemental Feed Route Project Will Bring Reliable Irrigation Access to Farmers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced $629,047 in stimulus funding for the Potholes Supplemental Feed Route project near Ephrata, Washington. The Bureau of Reclamation awarded the funding to modify existing facilities for water conveyance improvements, ensuring an adequate water supply for the south end of the Columbia Basin Project as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
“With the depletion of water from Odessa sub aquifer, this funding is crucial to ensuring our farmers’ water needs are met,” Cantwell said. “I have consistently called for improvements to eastern Washington’s irrigation system, bringing groups together to form a dialogue toward finding solutions to our most pressing water challenges. The Potholes Supplemental Feed Route project will bring reliable water access to a critical area in the Columbia River Basin.”
The ARRA funds will be used to route water from Pinto Dam to Potholes Reservoir, which is impounded by O’Sullivan Dam south of Moses Lake. The project includes construction of an energy dissipater that slows down water exiting Pinto Dam, shaping and strengthening the still basin at the base of Pinto Dam; and construction of a concrete outlet at Brook Lake just below Pinto Dam. Once completed, the Potholes Supplemental Feed Route will play an integral role in the Columbia Basin Project, which is the largest reclamation project in the U.S.
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