Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resources Management Plan

The Yakima River Basin encompasses 6,155 square miles and includes portions of four counties in Central Washington. The basin is affected by a variety of water problems that impact fish, agriculture, and municipal and domestic water supplies. Anchor QEA has been helping the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Washington State Department of Ecology investigate water supply and fish enhancement alternatives, including new and expanded reservoirs, a comprehensive water conservation program, water marketing, groundwater recharge and storage, fish passage at existing dams, habitat restoration, and changes to existing river operations.  

The goal is to improve drought year water supply and improve instream flow conditions for fish. Building on previous planning efforts, the Integrated Plan is the most comprehensive effort to date in proposing water resource and habitat protection and restoration solutions in the Yakima Basin. The Integrated Plan outlines water management and ecosystem restoration strategies for a 50-year time frame in the basin, providing an adaptive management framework to address potential future changes, including climate change effects.