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Agencies seek comment on draft lower Snake River water supply replacement study

Media Contact: Bureau of Reclamation - Jill M. Youmans, 208-378-6231, cpnpao@usbr.gov
Washington State Department of Ecology - Stephanie May, stephanie.may@ecy.wa.gov
For Release: Dec 31, 2024

BOISE, Idaho – The Bureau of Reclamation and the Washington State Department of Ecology are seeking comments on the draft lower Snake River Water Supply Replacement Study. 

The goals of the study are to: 

  • Obtain a detailed understanding of current water supply and irrigation, municipal and industrial uses near the four Lower Snake River dams (Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, Lower Granite) in Washington and Idaho. 
  • Evaluate impacts to water delivery in the event Congress were to authorize breach of the dams.  
  • Analyze potential solutions for water supply replacement and identify implementation considerations. 

A contractor team led by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is conducting the study in coordination with and at the direction of Reclamation and Ecology. This study is one of several federal studies committed to by the U.S. government as part of the December 14, 2023, Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement. Concurrent with the public comment period, the study is undergoing an independent peer review process. 

The draft study can be found here: https://www.usbr.gov/pn/fcrps/lsrws.html

Comments can be made via a web form linked in the web page listed above or at https://forms.office.com/g/rXJLXfytkC, emailed to bor-sha-lsrwsrscomments@usbr.gov, or mailed to: 

Jarrett Redman
Bureau of Reclamation
Columbia–Pacific Northwest Regional Office
1150 Curtis Road
Boise, ID, 83706-1234 

All comments must be submitted or postmarked by Mar. 1, 2025.  

The agencies will host two open houses to update the public on the study and provide an opportunity to engage with key project team members from the Bureau of Reclamation, the Washington Department of Ecology, and Jacobs Engineering Group. The first open house will take place on Feb. 4 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Pasco, Washington, at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 4525 Convention Place.  The second open house will be held on Feb. 5. from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Lewiston, Idaho, at the Lewiston Library, 411 D St. 

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