The Yakima Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan

The Yakima River basin is located in south-central Washington. It is bounded on the west by the Cascade Range, on the north by the Wenatchee Mountains, on the east by the Columbia River drainage, and on the south by the Horse Heaven Hills. It encompasses about 6,155 square miles and includes portions of Benton, Kittitas, Klickitat, and Yakima Counties.

Mt Adams peeing over an Orchard that sits on a hill

Mt Adams peeking above a Yakima Basin orchard.

Yakima River flowing through the Yakima River Canyon. Photo credit: Tom Ring.

Washington's longest in-state river, the Yakima River, originates at Keechelus Lake and descends 2,100 feet to meet the Columbia near Kennewick after winding through 214 miles of alpine forest, fertile valley farmlands and shrub steppe habitat. Snowpack in the Cascade Range feeds the river, supporting agriculture, streamflows, and groundwater resources. The river and its tributaries are home to important fish spawning, rearing, and ocean migration as part of the greater Columbia River watershed.

Bull Trout in Deep Creek. Photo by Eric Anderson WDFW

Forest land in the upper basin.

Bighorn sheep in Yakima River Canyon

The Yakima Basin’s current water supply does not meet instream demands for fish and wildlife and the out-of-stream needs of irrigation and municipal supply.

As communities grow and climate change reduces supply by shrinking the annual snow-pack, municipal and agricultural water supply deficiencies are becoming more pronounced.

As streamflows decline, so do fish populations. Some species, like Yakima Basin sockeye that once thrived as the second largest population of sockeye in the continental US, were completely extirpated within the basin.

Orchard destroyed by 2015 drought.

Two of the first Yakima Basin hatched sockeye to return and spawn in a century. Construction of fish passage is critical to their success.

The Workgroup

Decades of water shortages, legal conflict and failed planning efforts prompted once adversaries to recognize they could best move forward by working together. Led by the Yakama Nation and the Roza Irrigation District, these farm, tribal, local and environmental interests were brought together in 2009, by Ecology and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to hammer out a unified approach to water management in the Yakima River Basin. Each pledged to respect consensus based decision-making and recognized a crucial need for give and take. Success not equally found when water decisions are made in a courtroom.

The Workgroup

Yakama Nation representative Phil Rigdon addresses the workgroup during meeting with top federal agency management.

Office of Columbia River Director answering questions at a workgroup meeting.

The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan

The result of their work, The Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan, is a consensus-based effort to assure sustainable water supplies for families, farms and fish in the Yakima River Basin over the next 30 years.

 The plan is composed of seven elements:

  • Reservoir Fish Passage - Passage for local and sea-going fish at Yakima Basin dams.
  • Structural and Operational Changes - Changes in how current water storage and delivery facilities are operated.
  • Enhanced Water Conservation - Agricultural and municipal water conservation.
  • Habitat/Watershed Protection & Enhancement - Taking care of our watersheds.
  • Groundwater Storage - Storing water in aquifers.
  • Surface Water Storage - Reservoir storage
  • Market Reallocation - Water banks and water markets.

Phased Implementation

The Integrated Plan will be implemented in three ten-year phases. The first or "initial development phase" is currently underway and consists of projects from each of the Plan's seven elements.

This River Runs Forever

Stuctural and Operational Changes

Initial Development Phase Projects include:

  • Cle Elum Pool Raise - Raising Cle Elum Reservoir's pool by three feet will add an14,600 acre-feet of capacity.
  • Kittitas Reclamation District Upper Yakima System Storage - Many small reservoirs would be used to store water for more efficient use in the upper basin.

Three feet of steel was added to the radial gates at Cle Elum Dam to allow the reservoir level to be raised. Armoring of the shoreline to prevent erosion and work on existing camping and boating facilities is currently underway.

Root wads and timber salvaged from the clearing of land for the Cle Elum Fish Passage Project will be used along with rip rap to armor Cle Elum Reservoir's shoreline against erosion.

Surface Water Storage

The Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant (KDRPP) is the only surface water storage project slated for the Integrated Plan's Initial Development Phase. A pumping plant would draw currently unavailable water from below the Kachess Dam spillway for use during droughts.

A new off-channel reservoir between Ellensburg and Yakima at Wymer and expansion of Bumping Reservoir are under examination for future phases.

KDRPP conceptual design.

KDRPP floating pump configuration at low and high reservoir levels.

Location of proposed Wymer Reservoir

The eastern end of the proposed reservoir at Wymer would reach the Lmuma Creek bridge on I-82 between Yakima and Ellensburg.

Geotechnical work being conducted to evaluate Wymer site.

Storage capacity at Bumping Reservoir would be increased by constructing a new dam.

Groundwater Storage

Storing water underground by pumping it into aquifers (aquifer storage and recovery or ASR) or letting it percolate into aquifers from ponds and canals (managed aquifer recharge or MAR) plays an important role in the Plan's storage strategy.

Inititial Development Phase projects include:

  • Yakima City Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)
  • Toppenish Fan Aquifer Recharge
  • Selah Moxee Irrigation District MAR Feasibility Study
  • Yakima Basin Aquifer Geochemistry Evaluation (Basin Wide)
  • Kittitas Reclamation District Yakima Basin ASR Feasibility Study (Basin Wide)

Aquifer storage and recovery

Managed Aquifer Recharge and Recovery

Fish Passage

Construction of fish passage is underway at Cle Elum Dam and slated for Tieton Dam (Rimrock) and Clear Creek Dam during the Integrated Plan's first decade. Fish passage construction for Bumping, Keechelus, and Kachess dams is scheduled for later phases of the Integrated Plan.

The Helix: Collaborative Approach, Revolutionary Design

Cle Elum Fish Passage

Construction of the vault for the juvenile fish passage helix at Cle Elum Dam. Photo Credit: USBR - Kirsten Strough

Water Marketing

Water right transfers through water markets and water banks provide an important tool to allow for new uses until additional water is made available through storage and conservation.. Water banking and marketing allow water rights to be exchanged between willing buyers and sellers. These tools are particularly important during drought and water-short years.

Kittitas Reclamation District and Trout Unlimited are working on a basin wide Water Market Structure and Strategic Development Plan. Existing water banks are identified on the map.

Suitability map for the Big Creek Water Bank in the Upper Yakima Basin.

Ecology staff providing technical assistance.

Habitat Enhancement

Over 40 habitat projects have been completed or are underway in the Integrated Plan's first phase. These projects aim to improve the overall natural functions of the watershed that also enhance water supplies for fish & wildlife, flood control and even water availability both instream and out-of-stream.

Timber placed in Indian Creek in the Teanaway Community Forest to restore natural floodplains.

Planting trees on the banks of the Yakima River near Cle Elum to restore it to assist with water quality and temperature concerns.

The purchase of the Teanaway Community Forest protects an important watershed at the top of the Yakima Basin.

This River Runs Forever - Teanaway Community Forest

Sructures built by the Yakama Nation to restore habitat and create floodplains for raising smolts in Toppenish Creek.

Agricultural and Municipal Conservation

Two dozen conservation projects have been completed or are underway in the Initial Development Phase. The Integrated Plan is projected to conserve 170,000 ac-ft of water. That's equivalent to adding another Keechelus Reservoir.

This River Runs Forever - Efficient Irrigation

Ditch piping and canal lining projects allow irrigators to divert less water by lowering the amount lost through evaporation and seepage.

Conservation projects along Manastash Creek, once an important stream for steelhead, have rewatered the creek's lower reaches and steelhead are returning.

Heritage gardens that use native plants and xeriscaping employing plants that thrive in arid climates conserve municipal water. Photo credit: Debra Kroon.

The Office of Columbia River, Washington Department of Ecology

Unless otherwise credited, photos, graphics, and maps by Ecology (Tim Poppleton, Joye Redfield-Wilder, Wendy Valdez) and USBR

Videos by YRBWEP Workgroup, USBR, and Ecology.

Mt Adams peeking above a Yakima Basin orchard.

Yakima River flowing through the Yakima River Canyon. Photo credit: Tom Ring.

Bull Trout in Deep Creek. Photo by Eric Anderson WDFW

Forest land in the upper basin.

Bighorn sheep in Yakima River Canyon

Orchard destroyed by 2015 drought.

Two of the first Yakima Basin hatched sockeye to return and spawn in a century. Construction of fish passage is critical to their success.

The Workgroup

Yakama Nation representative Phil Rigdon addresses the workgroup during meeting with top federal agency management.

Office of Columbia River Director answering questions at a workgroup meeting.

Three feet of steel was added to the radial gates at Cle Elum Dam to allow the reservoir level to be raised. Armoring of the shoreline to prevent erosion and work on existing camping and boating facilities is currently underway.

Root wads and timber salvaged from the clearing of land for the Cle Elum Fish Passage Project will be used along with rip rap to armor Cle Elum Reservoir's shoreline against erosion.

KDRPP conceptual design.

KDRPP floating pump configuration at low and high reservoir levels.

Location of proposed Wymer Reservoir

The eastern end of the proposed reservoir at Wymer would reach the Lmuma Creek bridge on I-82 between Yakima and Ellensburg.

Geotechnical work being conducted to evaluate Wymer site.

Storage capacity at Bumping Reservoir would be increased by constructing a new dam.

Aquifer storage and recovery

Managed Aquifer Recharge and Recovery

Cle Elum Fish Passage

Construction of the vault for the juvenile fish passage helix at Cle Elum Dam. Photo Credit: USBR - Kirsten Strough

Suitability map for the Big Creek Water Bank in the Upper Yakima Basin.

Ecology staff providing technical assistance.

Timber placed in Indian Creek in the Teanaway Community Forest to restore natural floodplains.

Planting trees on the banks of the Yakima River near Cle Elum to restore it to assist with water quality and temperature concerns.

The purchase of the Teanaway Community Forest protects an important watershed at the top of the Yakima Basin.

Sructures built by the Yakama Nation to restore habitat and create floodplains for raising smolts in Toppenish Creek.

Ditch piping and canal lining projects allow irrigators to divert less water by lowering the amount lost through evaporation and seepage.

Conservation projects along Manastash Creek, once an important stream for steelhead, have rewatered the creek's lower reaches and steelhead are returning.

Heritage gardens that use native plants and xeriscaping employing plants that thrive in arid climates conserve municipal water. Photo credit: Debra Kroon.