Our Northwest Water

Columbia Basin Water Series with Michael Barber and Sueann Ramella

Our series on Columbia Basin water issues features Mike Barber, Director of the Water Resource Center for WSU along with correspondent, Sueann Ramella. Washington's DOE and other key stakeholders are gearing up for a massive drawdown of water from Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam, to boost rapidly-depleting supplies. We learn about the challenges involved in bringing water to fish, towns and farms that depend it for survival.

 

Columbia Basin Water, Part One: Farms, Towns and Fish Overview.  East of the Cascades in the massive area known as the Columbia Basin we are facing diminishing water supplies and simultaneous population growth. Michael Barber and Sueann Ramella discuss factors such as climate change, annual water flow issues and the scope of this massive environmental challenge.

 

Columbia Basin Water, Part Two: Farms.  The Odessa Aquifer feeds a four county area in some of the dryest country in Washington State. It's slated to get some of the Lake Roosevelt water, but delivering that water might be an insurmountable problem. Learn about the creative and diverse methods now being considered to deliver and store water in this region.

Columbia Basin Water, Part Three: Towns.  Peak usage of water is in summer months when supplies are lowest. Learn where all the water goes in towns across this region and how to begin to conserve.

 

Columbia Basin Water, Part Four: Fish. Fish, especially migrating salmon, have battled for years to maintain populations in a route riddled with dams and varying water supplies. Learn about the tactics used now and in the future to accomodate fish populations in the Northwest.

A Wet June Helps Idaho Fish Down the River

(Flickr photograph by oregon ducatisti)

COEUR D'ALENE, ID - Most of the Northwest has had normal or drier than usual weather this spring. But some of the traditionally driest areas have experienced one of their wettest Junes in years. Some areas of southern Idaho and eastern Oregon have had three or four times the normal rainfall. That’s good news for salmon. Inland Northwest Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports.

Xeriscaping in the Northwest

  

(photo of shrub step ecosystem courtesy Northwest Habitat Institute).

Listen to this feature here.

Host introduction:  Spring is here and the garden is calling. Often times, we answer the call with fertilizers and lots of water. But many people are looking for green alternatives to landscaping. Sueann Ramella reports on a green alternative many gardeners are excited about;  Xeriscaping.

Sueann Ramella:  What do you need to grow a beautiful garden? A green thumb helps but you need soil, [ Sound: digging in soil] or substrate, some plants or seed – hopefully a plan and water [Sound: water from faucet] Lots of water…[Sound: water gets louder] depending on the type of plants you choose and the climate you live in. By the way, you are most likely using… [Sound: gulping water] drinking water to irrigate your gardens and lawns.

In Spokane, the average family triples their water usage in the hot summer months. Most of that water is used outdoors. Bill Rickard  is the Water Quality Coordinator for the City of Spokane.

Bill Rickard:  We have a lot of water, but not necessarily so much that we can waste it. Water use in this area tends to be more acute in the summer. Any urban area, and Spokane is no exception, uses several times more water during the summer; half of all the water that you use all year. So we want to work together to responsibly use our water resources.

Ramella: So what can be done to grow a beautiful garden, and reduce the amount of water used to sustain it?

Kathy Hutton:  Xeriscaping is great because everybody’s is going to be in a water crunch right now.

Ramella:  Kathy Hutton is with Plants of the Wild in Tekoa, Washington.

Ramella: Xeriscaping is the use drought tolerant, often native plants to landscape. If you are imaging bunch grasses, tumbleweeds and lava rock it does not sound attractive and maybe boring...

Chuck Cody:  Well, first of all plants are not boring. There are many, many plants that are native throughout the Western United States that are very exciting!

Ramella: Chuck Cody is the Plant Growth Facilities Manager for the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University …

Cody:  They’re colorful. They have their own characters if you will. There’s a lot of Penstemons, (common name is beardtongue ..it has bell shaped flowers in many colors )  there’s a lot of  agastache  (stiff and angular flowering stems in pink, mauve or purples..)

Kathy Hutton:  We have a lot of shrubs that are very pretty;  Service berry (Petite white flowering bush),  Chokecherry (a tasty jam!) , low ground covering plants that are very popular for landscaping.  Kinnickinnick [or bearberry] is one of the real popular ones (shrubby with red berries) and wild strawberries …There are some very pretty bushes Low ground covering plans.. Kinnikinnick (shrubby with red berries) and wild strawberries …”

Chuck Cody:  Xeriscaping can be many things though. I mean, it can be a rock garden where you put a lot of succulents or potentially even cacti. There are some cacti that will work in our area.

Sueann Ramella: Many organizations and cities are encouraging people to xeriscape. Plants of the Wild, along with The Washington Department of Ecology, WSU Extension and the cities of Spokane, Post Falls and Coeur D Alene distributed information on wild flower mixes and low maintenance grass seed to residents.

Kathy Hutton:  Spokane and Coeur D Alene realize they are going to have a problem with conserving and rationing water. So they are trying to educate the public on options other than putting in a typical lawn. There are options out there and just giving them some information on some different alternatives.

Ramella: Learning about the types of plants and how to design a xeriscape garden is easy. It just takes a little time and a willingness to change old gardening habits. Kathy Hutton says there’s a growing number of people looking into xeriscaping.

Kathy Hutton:  I think people are beginning to change. We are having a lot more people calling that are interested in xeriscaping and native landscaping and even our turf mixes, which we call our low maintenance mix, where they don’t’ want to put in much water, fertilizer or even as much time. They want it to be low maintenance for them.

Sueann Ramella: For more information on xeriscaping, including photos of drought tolerant plants come to Our Northwest at nwpr.org.

Links:

Washington State University
Hardy Plants for Waterwise Landscapes

Washington Native Plant Society
Washington Native Plant Society (Photogallery)

University of Oregon
Xeriscape is a Water Wise Solution (A Water Wise Solution)

Idaho Native Plant Society

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Wildlife Areas page.

Gallery:

Pentsemons (beardtounge)

Agastache urticifolio (nettleleaf giant hyssop)

Service berry

Chokecherry

  

Kinnikinnick or Bearberry

Plant Images - http://plants.usda.gov/gallery.html

 

WA DOE Proposes Lake Pend Orielle Drawdown for Spokane Aquifer

Washington's DOE is looking for a way to put more water into the Spokane Aquifer during the dry summer months. Researchers will study whether Washington could pipe water from Idaho's Lake Pend Orielle and inject it into the region's main source of drinking water. Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports that it’s not clear whether Idaho will go for the idea.

(click on map to enlarge - courtesy of the US Geological Society)

This is a transcription of a radio report from the Northwest News Network.
Listen to the audio here.

SPOKANE - In the late summer, the flow of water in the Spokane River west of the Idaho state line slows to a trickle. That’s bad for the fish, of course, but it’s also not very pretty for the tourists.

              

So Ecology will hire Washington State University researchers to study how to get more water into the river in August and September. Ecology’s idea is to pump water from picturesque Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho.

 

The spring runoff would be injected into the Spokane aquifer in hopes that the water would eventually trickle down. Even if the scientists can make such a plan work, Washington hydrogeologist John Covert acknowledges tension between the two states about water issues could make the project a pipe dream.

 

John Covert: We’d have to figure out is the political will there and the financial resources and everything else to make it a reality.

 

An Idaho state water official says it’s too early to say how people on his side of the border will react to Washington’s study.

 

I’m Doug Nadvornick in Coeur d’Alene.

 

Links:

Northwest News Network

report audio

DOE's site on the Spokane Basin

 

Copyright 2009 Spokane Public Radio

               

Urban Waters Initiative Prevents Pollution in the Spokane River

By: Stephanie Teien

 

Image: the Spokane River at Millwood by Sagebrush Photography.

The Spokane River contains the highest amount of flame retardant pollution in Washington state.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently found dangerous levels of PBDEs in the river's fish.  These chemicals are linked to nervous system damage and developmental problems in animals.

Flame retardants bioaccumulate through the food chain and have been discovered in the tissue of people throughout the U.S. These chemicals are in many manufactured items including carpet, mattresses, clothes, and electronics. No definitive medical conclusions about effects on humans have been made, but PBDEs were officially banned throughout Washington in January 2009.    

Now experts are looking for the source of these and many other contaminants in the Spokane River.  In 2007, Washington's state legislature funded a $2.1 million program called the Urban Waters Initiative to monitor pollution in the Spokane River, Commencement Bay, and the Duwamish River.

The Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) and the Spokane Regional Health District began sending inspectors out in July 2008 to look for sources of contaminants in the river.

Cathy Cochrane, the communications manager for the Washington DOE eastern region office, said resource specialists target small businesses such as service stations and auto repair shops to teach them how to store and contain chemical waste so it won't escape into the river.

"Larger businesses are already inspected and have to report to Ecology about how much [toxic waste] they produce," she said.  "We want to inspect small businesses on a continuing basis and consult with them about how to properly store chemicals." 

Program inspectors sample water in sewer and stormwater drains to locate where the pollution is coming from.  Manufacturing plants and steel mills are a well-known contributor, but experts want to prevent the continuing escape of contaminants carried into the river from other places that may have been overlooked. 

The main pollutants inspectors are looking for are PBDEs, PCBs, dioxins, furans, and heavy metals.  The EPA named these chemicals among the main priorities for reduction along the Columbia River Basin.

Cochrane said there are no definitive results from the Spokane River research yet, but she believes progress is being made. 

"It's an educational campaign where we want to work together to figure out ways to trace [pollution] down," she said.  "I think people want to do the right thing, they just have to make the connection between their drain and the river."  

The Urban Waters research team's results are expected within the year.

LINKS:

To read about the Urban Waters Initiative program go to: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0709044.html 

For more information about PBDEs visit: http://nwpublicmedia.typepad.com/our_northwest_water/polybrominated-diphenyl-ether-or-pbdes-areflame-retardants-used-in-many-products-including-computers-furniture-electronic.html

PCBs: http://nwpublicmedia.typepad.com/our_northwest_water/polychlorinated-biphenyls.html

Dioxins and Furans: http://nwpublicmedia.typepad.com/our_northwest_water/2009/02/dioxins-and-furans.html

Heavy Metals:

http://nwpublicmedia.typepad.com/our_northwest_water/arsenic-an-odorless-tasteless-semi-metalelement-used-in-agricultural-and-industrial-processes-and-enters-environment-throu.html

 

Toxic PBDE Flame Retardants Banned

By: Stephanie Teien

The Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) issued a news release January 21, 2009 stating PBDE flame retardants will be banned statewide.  Three forms of PBDEs have been used for decades in a variety of household products, electronics, furniture, and vehicles.

PBDEs are classified as a possible carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency.  The chemicals bind to fatty tissue and increase exponentially over time.  Animal studies have linked PBDEs to hormonal and nervous system damage as well as cancer and behavioral disorders.    

Fire safety experts found safer alternatives for this wide-spread chemical, which has been measured at high levels in Washington waterways.  

DOE Toxics Reduction Coordinator Carol Kraege said the process to ban PBDEs began in 2003 through a series of ecology reports sent to Legislature.

"It's been a lot of work," she said.  "There was always a desire to have some rules in place, but there was a safety aspect that meant we were not in a position to recommend a full ban without a prospective plan."

Kraege said the law to phase out PBDEs was passed in 2007, but the DOE had to find alternative flame retardants they could prove were safer and just as effective before it could be implemented fully.

"We couldn't recommend something where the end result would be worse," she said. 

Five Washington fire safety experts formed a Fire Safety Committee on November 7, 2008.  They approved flame retardant alternatives meeting state fire safety standards.

Kraege said there is a two-year window for incorporating the law completely.  The manufacturing, sale, and distribution of products containing PBDEs will be prohibited by January 2011. 

The law applies mainly to Deca-BDE flame retardants because Octa-BDEs and Penta-BDEs have been out of production since 2004.

"We're not telling people they have to use the alternatives we found, but mattresses and other products can no longer be made with Deca-BDE," she said.   

According to the DOE, people in North America have the highest PBDE levels in their system than anywhere in the world.  The chemicals have been measured in the blood, fat tissue and breast milk of humans.  Recent studies indicate these levels increased dramatically throughout the ecosystem, doubling every five years.

While no conclusive studies on PBDEs in people have been administered, they have been shown to cause progressive brain and developmental damage in animals. 

To view the entire House Bill visit: http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/1024-S.PL.pdf

PBDE Chemical Action Plan website: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/pbt/pbde.html

  

DOH Warns Fish Eaters about High Mercury and PBDE Levels

 

By: Stephanie Teien

This January (2009), Washington Department of Health (DOH) updated their fish consumption advisories after high contaminant levels in the Columbia River Basin were reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  People are warned to limit their intake of certain seafood due to high levels of mercury, DDT (from pesticides), PCBs (prevalent in industrial chemicals) and PBDEs (flame retardants).

This clickable map is from the EPA.

    

A statewide bass advisory has been in effect since September 2003 because of increasing mercury concentrations.  The DOH is advising all Washington residents to limit their bass consumption to two meals per month.    

Regional advisories for various types of fish and pollutants include the Puget Sound, the Spokane River, Lake Whatcom and the Lower Columbia River. 

EPA Reports Dangerous Toxin Levels in Columbia River Basin

By: Stephanie Teien

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a report Jan. 15 outlining dangerous levels of toxic contaminants found in the Columbia River Basin. 

The 65-page EPA report identified four main pollutants prevalent throughout the Basin that could pose serious health risks to people, fish and wildlife. 

The contaminants include:

• Mercury - Element found at increasing levels in fish and wildlife.  May cause irreversible damage to the nervous systems of people and animals.
• Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) - A pesticide banned in the U.S. in 1972.  Most entered the Basin from agricultural runoff and its chemical compound remains active for decades.  Known to cause reproductive and development problems in fish, birds and other animals.
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) - A group of chemicals formerly used in industrial equipment.  Banned by the EPA in 1979 after proving to have a carcinogenic effect on people and wildlife.
• Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) - A flame retardant in many products including vehicles, electronics and plastic items.  Linked to neurological and reproductive problems in mammals. 

Mary Lou Soscia, the EPA's Columbia River cleanup coordinator in Portland, said these four contaminants are among many dangerous toxics found in the Basin. 

"There are lots of contaminants like lead and phosphorous present," she said.  "We couldn't take them all on in one report.  The four described are representative of other contaminants in the Basin that are a threat to human health and aquatic life."

Other pollutants mentioned in the report include metals such as arsenic, current-use pesticides and industrial chemicals.  "Emerging contaminants" include pharmaceuticals and other personal care products entering the water supply.

The report explains how toxic chemicals build up in organisms and never metabolize.  Contaminants passed through the food web accumulate at increasing levels.  Fish-eating birds and mammals acquire much higher concentrations than species lower on the food web through a process called biomagnification.

State health departments have issued fish consumption advisories for areas throughout the Basin.

Soscia said the advisories are for different types of fish and contaminants, but most are to limit exposure to mercury. 

"What we want to do is make the ecosystem healthier for everyone living there, whether they be fish, animals or people," she said.  "Obviously, we want to reduce the number of advisories by working collaboratively."

Soscia said many groups and individuals are looking for ways to reduce contamination levels, but there is always more that can be done. 

The Basin extends about 259,000 miles through seven U.S. states and into British Columbia, Canada.  The EPA report estimated approximately 8 million people live around it and depend on its resources. 

"Reducing toxics in the Basin will require a comprehensive, coordinated effort by all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the public," the report stated. 

To read the complete EPA report visit: www.epa.gov/region10/columbia/sorr.html

For up-to-date information on the health and current clean-up efforts, visit the EPA's Columbia River Basin website: http://www.epa.gov/region10/columbia

  

For more information about fish consumption advisories in Washington go to: http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/oehas/fish/

In Oregon: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/envtox/fishconsumption.html

In Idaho: http://www.Idahohealth.org

In Montana: www.dphhs.mt.gov/fish2005.pdf

          

  

  

 

 

 

 

NWPR Water Series Part 4: Fish

Listen to the audio file of this interview here .

Host Intro: In part four of Our Northwest Water, Sueann Ramella brings us a report on salmon and its vulnerability to water demands. 

(Sockeye Salmon)

Ramella: In August, the Northwest saw a rare and unexpected number of Sockeye Salmon return to spawning waters in the mountains of Idaho. It was quite the turnaround from the time of "Lonesome Larry," the lone sockeye that swam more than 900 miles upriver, navigating fish ladders at 8 dams only to find himself the sole salmon in Redfish Lake.

Scientists stepped in to help save sockeye from extinction by catching Larry and freezing his sperm for use in hatcheries. But why is the salmon issue so important? Dr. Michael Barber is the director of water research at Washington State University.

Barber: "Salmon is very important for a variety of reasons. We have commercial fisheries out in the ocean, local tribal fisheries and sport fisheries in the state that thrive on salmon fishermen. We have the cultural aspects of salmon for many Native Americans in the NW. They are certainly an indication of stream health as well."


Ramella: Streams that are also needed for irrigation. And there is also habitat competition from dams. Dams such as the Grand Coulee generate an enormous amount of electricity but also disrupt salmon migration. So why not find alternative energy sources and remove some dams?

Barber: "They've been talking about removing Ice Harbor up to the Lower Granite for a number of years, but realistically, from the power it generates, from the barge traffic that moves up and down for the wheat growers, those plans will be talked about, but that would be a very difficult thing to do politically."

Ramella: There are programs designed to take into account the needs of farmers, towns as well as salmon.


Barber: "Black Rock Reservoir is being proposed over in the Yakima basin where they are looking at taking water from the Columbia during peak flows, pumping it up over the Yakima side of the watershed then releasing that water for irrigation use and the irrigation folks would leave the water in the river for salmon."

Ramella: Some salmon even hitch a ride.

Barber: "When you go over to the Cowlitz area to see them take the adult fish coming up the stream at the base of the dam and put them in a truck, then drive them up and around and say, 'Here you go guys! Now you're out!' It does get to part of a problem. But it's a never ending cycle."


Ramella: Trucking salmon may help the fish pass the dams but a recent study by a University of Idaho fisheries research group suggest that this method may reduce the salmon's ability to navigate upstream.

And another issue crops up once the juvenile salmon are ready to migrate back to the ocean: Water pressure.

Barber: "The bigger problem is the fish goes from a high pressure system where they are in 100 ft under water on one side of the dam and then come shooting out the other side to 10 ft of water. It's a shock. It’s much like a human diver coming up too fast.

Ramella: "Getting the bends."

Barber: "Getting the bends. You get the nitrogen problems in the fish. It can kill them but more likely then not it stuns them and they become easy prey, at least temporarily."

Ramella: Managing the water requirements for salmon is complex. Different species of fish migrate at different times so the timing of what is required is hard to manage. Then there's the issue of funding.  We learned in Our Northwest Water that we can have enough water for agriculture, towns and fish, but what we really need is money.

For more information on water issues visit Our Northwest at nwpr.org. You can add your comments and find more reports on environmental issues facing the Northwest. I'm Sueann Ramella.

Links:

Our Northwest Water

"Lonesome Larry,"

Redfish Lake.

Dr. Michael Barber

Grand Coulee

Lower Granite

Ice Harbor

Cowlitz 

Getting the bends.

Dialogue Discusses Water Resources

Host of Idaho Public Television's Dialogue, Joan Cartan-Hansen talks with David Tuthill, the Director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources. Tuthill wants to investigate changes in how and where we store water and will discuss recent decisions in the Swan Falls settlement and the North Idaho adjudication.

View this program online.

A Reporter and Activist Notebook: Water Stakeholders on the Columbia Basin

There are too many water stakeholders on the Columbia River Basin to list in one article. From federal regulators to citizen groups, from industry representatives to state legislators, there are hundreds of organizations dedicated to this region and its water.  This article is an overview of some of the key players in the great water debates underway across the Northwest.  Learn about some federal, state, and local agencies and how to get active on YOUR watershed.

Federal Agencies

First in line is the Bureau of Reclamation, which is part of the Department of the Interior, Pacific Northwest Region.

Our goal is to meet the increasing water needs of the Pacific Northwest while protecting the environment and the public's investment. The Pacific Northwest region encompasses the Columbia River Basin, which includes the states of Idaho and Washington, most of Oregon, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. Water is supplied from 54 reservoirs with a total active capacity of approximately 18 million acre-feet. Power production facilities at Grand Coulee Dam are among the largest in the world. Established in 1902, the Bureau of Reclamation is widely known for the construction of dams, power plants, and canals in the western portion of the United States, including those in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The Bureau is the largest wholesaler of water in the United State, and has ongoing projects within Washington, including the Lake Roosevelt Letdown.

 Established in 1937, The Bonneville Power Administration is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of Energy.

BPA serves the Pacific Northwest through operating an extensive electricity transmission system and marketing wholesale electrical power at cost from federal dams, one non-federal nuclear plant and other non-federal hydroelectric and wind energy generation facilities. BPA aims to be a national leader in providing high reliability, low rates consistent with sound business principles, responsible environmental stewardship and accountability to the region.

In 1970 The United States Environmental Protection Agency was developed. The EPA gives the US Government the ability to establish and implement guidelines to improve environmental conditions in America.

The EPA employs 17,000 people across the country, including our headquarters offices in Washington, DC, 10 regional offices, and more than a dozen labs. Our staff are highly educated and technically trained; more than half are engineers, scientists, and policy analysts. In addition, a large number of employees are legal, public affairs, financial, information management and computer specialists.

Tribes

The Yakima Nation, the confederated tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Spokane Tribe are three important tribes in the greater Columbia Basin actively involved in these water debates.

Following the western water law value of "first in line, first in rights", it is impossible to overlook tribal authority when you are planning your water future.  Here's a link to federally-recognized tribes in Washington State.

State and Local Agencies

Our regional water regulator, Washington's Department of Ecology, is involved in everything from water quality to water distribution and use.

We are working closely with Washington communities and their citizens to provide effective water management. Historically, Washington residents have enjoyed an abundance of water, but water availability is no longer a luxury. We are committed to meeting current water needs and ensuring future water availability for people, fish and the natural environment.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife actively pursues the protection of fish by monitoring their natural habitat.

The agency's mission is to provide sound stewardship of fish and wildlife. The health and well-being of fish and wildlife is important not only to the species themselves, but to humans as well. Often, when fish and wildlife populations are threatened, their decline can predict environmental hazards or patterns that also may have a negative impact on people.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) List, monitors specific species of concern, adding in the conservation and protection of a diverse variety of Washington’s fish and wildlife.

Washington State Department of Health monitors a number of potential health concerns including health related illness from exposure to environmental hazards.

The Department of Health works with its federal, state and local partners to help people in Washington stay healthier and safer. Our programs and services help prevent illness and injury, promote healthy places to live and work, provide education to help people make good health decisions and ensure our state is prepared for emergencies.

Within the Department of Health, the Division of Environmental Health monitors environmental concerns including drinking water, fish safety facts, and wastewater management.

Washington Public Utility Districts or PUDs are nonprofit, community-owned and governed utilities that provide electricity, water, wholesale telecommunications and sewer service.

The mission of the Washington Public Utility Districts Association is to support, protect and enhance its members’ ability to provide not-for-profit, locally controlled utility services for the people of Washington.

The State of Washington has 28 PUDs operating in the areas of electricity (23), water (19), and broadband telecommunications (13).

Citizen and Special Interest Groups

There are dozens of groups in Washington State that act as conservation advocates, policy advocates and educational proponents. This summer, Our Northwest published an article called Adopt Your Watershed, which links to a very robust EPA data base which includes information on everything from pollutants to legislators, to groups active in watersheds across the nation. It's a great place to begin your research.

For the past 22 years, The Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute has focused on improving citizen involvement by providing citizens of the Palouse with first-hand experience in watershed restoration though projects such as Adopt- a-Stream, Rose Creek Preserve, Learning Nursery and others.

Here's a summary of the recent activities of two more advocacy groups:  In October of 2008, Center for Environmental Law and Policy and Columbia Riverkeeper caught the media’s attention with their opposition to the Lake Roosevelt drawdown. These two organizations challenged the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation after appealing two water decisions made by the Washington State Department of Ecology.  Read more about the appeal.

CELP’s mission is to protect and restore the freshwater resources of western Washington and the Columbia River watershed through education, policy reform, agency advocacy, and public interest litigation.

If you are interested in becoming actively involved in your area’s watershed groups, visit the EPA’s Surf your Watershed page, or to get involved in PECI visit their watershed volunteer page