Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region

Keechelus-to-Kachess Conveyance Project

The Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance (KKC) project is one of several potential structural and operational changes being studied by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) to improve water resources management in the Yakima River basin. KKC is being developed under the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project (YRBWEP) as part of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan (Integrated Plan).

The KKC would divert water from the Yakima River immediately downstream from the Keechelus Dam and convey it through a new tunnel to the Kachess Reservoir. This diversion could serve two purposes: (1) it would reduce high flows below the dam (at certain times of the year), which would provide spawning and rearing habitat for fish in the Yakima River, particularly Chinook and steelhead, and (2) it would accelerate refilling of the Kachess Reservoir if the proposed Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant (KDRPP) is constructed and operated during a drought year. Both projects align with the goals of the Integrated Plan to provide additional water supply for agriculture, municipal and domestic uses, and to improve fish habitat and passage.

Since the proposed KKC and KDRPP projects are closely connected, Reclamation and Ecology prepared the Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant (KDRPP) and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance (KKC) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in a single National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) document. It includes environmental analyses for both the KKC and KRDPP. The DEIS was released in January 2015 and described the no-action alternative and five action alternatives. The public comment period ended June 15, 2015.

After the public comment period, Reclamation and Ecology reviewed all comments on the DEIS, collected additional scientific data as necessary, evaluated new findings, and developed a floating pumping plant alternative. The new alternative and new findings were documented in the Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS), released to the public April 13, 2018.

After a 90-day comment period on the SDEIS, Reclamation and Ecology prepared the Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) released to the public on March 6, 2019. Responses to public comments from both the DEIS and SDEIS are published in the FEIS.

The Record of Decision (ROD) for the FEIS was signed by Pacific Northwest Regional Director Lorri Gray on April 26, 2019. You may access ROD and the FEIS under "Reports" below. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the ROD, please call the request line at (509) 573-8193 or email to kkbt@usbr.gov. You may also request a CD or a 3-volume-set hard copy of the FEIS.

News Releases
03/2019	Final EIS for Kachess and Keechelus projects postedHTML
04/2018	Supplemental draft EIS for Kachess and Keechelus projects available for review HTML
04/2015	Update: Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir to Kachess Reservoir Conveyance Projects PDF 151 kb
01/09/2015	Draft EIS for Kachess and Keechelus Projects Released HTML

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Public Meetings
04/13/2018 & 07/11/2018: SDEIS 90-day Public Comment Period - Two Public Meetings
05/17/2018: The Armory, Kittitas Valley Event Center, Ellensburg, WA., 4 to 7 p.m.
05/16/2018: Cle Elum Ranger District, U.S. Forest Service, Cle Elum, WA., 4 to 7 p.m.
SDEIS Public Meeting Materials PDF 10.33 mb
06/21/2017 Public Perspectives Session - Yakima Basin Integrated Plan Washington State Department of Ecology, Union Gap, WA — 12 to 1:00 p.m
Kachess Homeowners' Association Presentation (Not endorsed by Reclamation or Ecology)
04/15/2015 - 06/15/2015 Additional Draft KDRPP and KKC EIS 60-Day Reopening of Comment Period – Four Public Meetings
05/05/2015 Forest Service Ranger District Office, Cle Elum, WA - 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. PDF 151 kb
05/05/2015 Forest Service Ranger District Office, Cle Elum, WA, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. PDF 151 kb
04/15/2015 Hal Holmes Center, Ellensburg, WA - 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. PDF 151 kb
04/15/2015 Hal Holmes Center, Ellensburg, WA - 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. PDF 151 kb
01/09/2015 — DRAFT KDRPP and KKC EIS Released 60-Day Comment Period – Two Public Meetings
02/05/2015 U.S. Forest Service Ranger District, Cle Elum, WA, 4 to 7 p.m.
02/03/2015: Hal Homes Center, Ellensburg, WA, 4 to 7 p.m.
Scoping meetings
10/30/2013 — 12/16/2013 – KDRPP and KKC EIS 60-Day Public Scoping – Four Public Meetings
11/21/2013 Forest Service Cle Elum Ranger District, Cle Elum, WA, 5 to 7 p.m.
11/21/2013 Forest Service Cle Elum Ranger District, Cle Elum, WA, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
11/20/2013 Yakima Arboretum, Yakima, WA, 5 to 7 p.m.
11/20/2013 Yakima Arboretum, Yakima, WA, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

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Reports
04/2019	Record of Decision for the Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance FEIS PDF
03/2019	Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance FEIS Errata 1 PDF 539 kb
03/2019	Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance FEIS Errata 2 PDF 1.77 mb
03/2019	Volume 1: Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance FEIS Main Document PDF 50.67 mb
03/2019	Volume 2: Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance DEIS Comments and Responses PDF 81.36 mb
03/2019	Volume 3: Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance Supplemental DEIS Comments and Responses PDF 147.02 mb
03/2019	Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance FEIS Executive Summary PDF 1.37 mb
04/2018	Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance Supplemental DRAFT Environmental Impact Statement PDF 49.32 mb
04/2018	Technical Memorandum: Recoiled Opinion of Proabable Construction Cost, Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant - Floating Pump Alternative PDF 41.39 mb
04/2018	Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant Floating Pumping Plant Alternative Appraisal Design Report PDF 4.28 mb
01/2018	Feasibility Level Design Report: Keechelus-to-Kachess Conveyance PDF 12 mb
02/2016	Feasibility Planning Report Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance PDF 2.94 mb
07/2015	Technical Memorandum: Keechelus and Kachess Dams Fish Passage Concepts Review PDF 11.78 mb
04/2015	Economic Analyses of the Proposed Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance PDF 5.19 mb
03/2015	Feasibility Design Draft Report Keechelus-to-Kachess Conveyance PDF 20.41 mb
01/2015	Keechelus-to-Kachess Conveyance and Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant Draft Environmental Impact Statement PDF 34 mb
01/2015	Keechelus-to-Kachess Conveyance and Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant Draft Environmental Impact Statement Executive Summary PDF 7.83 mb
03/2014	Scoping Summary Report for the Keechelus-to-Kachess Conveyance and Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant Environmental Impact Statement PDF 9.26 mb
09/2013	Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan Technical Memorandum: Screening of Alternatives for the Keechelus-to-Kachess Conveyance Project PDF 5.89 mb
04/2013	First Annual Progress Report Clear Creek Dam Passage Assessment PDF 5.20 mb
05/2006	Yakima River Basin Water Storage Alternatives Appraisal Assessment Technical Series No. TS-YSS-8 PDF 6.05 mb
Additional Reference Documents >>

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Washington State Department of Ecology

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