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p �poe .. ro rNe 4Q 9 KITTITAS IX)U�TY July 9, 2018 Kittitas County, Washington BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS District One Cory Wright Ms. Candace McKinley Environmental Program Manager Bureau of Reclamation Columbia -Cascades Area Office 1917 Marsh Road Yakima, WA 98901-2058 District Two District Three Laura Osiadacz Obie O'Brien RE: Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Plant and Keechelus Reservoir-to-Kachess Reservoir Conveyance Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement Response Dear Ms. McKinley: Kittitas County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) has commented previously on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in 2015. Those comments are still valid in that there has been no response to issues raised. In addition, we have new concerns with the SDEIS. We are also on record in full support of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. The position in the past and restated here is that the elements of the plan need to work together in order to gain the order of magnitude needed to address the water and environmental issues in our common future. The selection of the Kachess Floating Pumping Plant as the preferred alternative is less than ideal. Within that selection are multiple applications to be considered. Where is the inlet and outflow to be located? Who will benefit and at what contribution levels? Statements that Rosa Irrigation District will bear the entire cost and gain all the benefit of the water does not address the needs of Kittitas County, yet the impacts of the pump down will be felt by Kittitas residents and the visitors from all over Washington who recreate around Kachess reservoir. Additionally in following years after a pump down the reservoir will take time to refill. That may affect water availability for local farmers. Again the entire YBIP that includes the KKC for refill of Kachess is needed to avoid creating one problem while addressing another. When each element of the YBIP is viewed individually they all fall short by the economics or effectiveness of the proposal. However, when taken as a whole the plan can work to address the need for changes in storage and disposition of water as our climate models indicate that more precipitation may be coming to the Cascades and the Yakima River Basin, but in the form of warmer rain and less snow pack than what we rely upon now. Many of the citizens of the Kachess Reservoir (Lake) have been sending their concerns to us at the BOCC. We do not have authority in this decision and so we submit our comments and recognize theirs in this reply. KITTITAS COUNTY COURTHOUSE • 205 WEST 5"I, RM 110 - ELLENSBURG, WA 98926 (509) 962-7508 • FAX (509) 962-7679