NRCS INTENDS TO PREPARE A SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE ODESSA SUBAREA SPECIAL STUDY PROJECT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is intending to prepare a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to analyze lands and resources associated with a proposed distribution system that were not analyzed in the recently adopted Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) 2012 Odessa Subarea Special Study Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) produced in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Ecology.​

In 2024, NRCS-Washington issued a Record of Decision (ROD) that selects Alternative 4A: Partial Modified-Replacement-Banks with Limited Spring Diversion Scenario, the same alternative that was selected in the Reclamation 2013 ROD for the FEIS. Under this alternative, groundwater irrigation on 70,000 acres of land in the Odessa Subarea would be replaced in a one-to-one replacement with Reclamation Columbia Basin Project (CBP) water of which 164,000 acre-feet would be new Columbia River diversions. Since Reclamation published the FEIS in 2012, the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program (OGWRP) — a consortium of local, state, and federal partners — has worked towards phased implementation of Alternative 4A.

​The SEIS will examine an irrigation delivery system designated EL 11.8 that would serve approximately 7,638 acres of land currently served by groundwater in the northeastern portion of the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District (ECBID) in Grant County. A portion of the proposed EL 11.8 alignment crosses lands that were not included in the FEIS. NRCS will analyze these lands and the associated resources that may be affected. The lands that will be analyzed in the SEIS include a mix of undeveloped and agricultural lands within the Odessa Groundwater Management Subarea and the Odessa Subarea Special Study Area boundaries in Grant County.

​The primary purpose for this proposed action is to maintain economic viability by providing Columbia River surface water from the CBP through the EL 11.8. The CBP surface water would replace groundwater from the Odessa Subarea aquifer, which is experiencing significant declines in groundwater levels. Many of the groundwater wells in the area are currently drilled to a depth of 800 to 1,000 feet, with some as deep as 2,100 feet. Some wells in the area have been reported out of production, and drilling deeper wells is not feasible because deeper water may not be available, may be potentially unusable, or may be too expensive to access. As a result of this decline, the ability of producers to irrigate their crops is at risk. No additional Columbia River diversions are needed to supply the EL 11.8 delivery system.

The development of the SEIS is sponsored by ECBID with funding and technical support from NRCS. Columbia Basin Conservation District, Farmers Conservation Alliance, Parametrix, and Highland Economics are consultants assisting ECBID and NRCS with the planning process.

The NRCS-Washington Notice of Intent and additional information are available online at the following websites:​​​

• ​https://www.ogwrp-programs.org/watershed-plan
• https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/washington/nrcs-washington-public-notices