1. Bateman Island Causeway Project & Yakima Basin Integrated Plan
BUILDING A FUTURE FOR WATER, WILDLIFE
& WORKING LANDS

2. Bateman Island Causeway Project Cle Elum Dam Fish Passage
Teanaway Community Forest
Kachess Drought Relief Pumping Project
Gap to Gap Floodplain Restoration
Conservation Projects: Roza and Kennewick Irrigation Districts
Bateman Island
Causeway Project
Yakima Basin
Integrated Plan
Cle Elum Pool Rise
Other Projects
New Partners

3. Yakima Basin Integrated Plan

4. Basin Overview Basin size = 6,155 sq. miles Population = 360,000
Irrigated Area = 464,000 acres
Economic Impacts (USDA 2012)
Food Processing Industry Benefits = $1.4B
Agricultural Production = 1.8B
Historically, second only to Snake River in supporting Columbia River salmon and steelhead runs

5. Water Resource Challenges
Surface water is over-appropriated
5 reservoirs with 1M acre-feet of capacity
Existing water rights: Basin-wide irrigation diversions = 2.3M acre-feet
Snowpack is the “sixth reservoir”
Droughts in , 2001, 2005, and 2015

6. Native Fisheries Challenges
Historic salmon and steelhead run
800,000 fish
Average run size last years
15,000-20,000 fish
Native coho, sockeye and summer Chinook extirpated
Coho reestablished, sockeye being reestablished
Spring and fall Chinook
Seriously reduced
Steelhead and bull trout
ESA Threatened species

7. The Yakima Plan: A balanced package of actions developed by:
The Yakama Nation
Federal Agencies
Bureau of Reclamation
US Fish and Wildlife
US Forest Service
NOAA
State Agencies
Dept of Ecology
Dept of Agriculture
Dept of Fish and Wildlife
Irrigation Districts
KID
Sunnyside
Roza
Yakima-Tieton
KRD
Environmental & Recreation Groups
American Rivers
Trout Unlimited
The Wilderness Society
Local Governments
Counties
Municipalities

8. The Yakima Plan is A 30-year strategy Three 10-year phases
First, “Initial Development Phase” under way
~$3 billion projects
Provide reliable water for EXISTING agriculture
Restore all native historic salmon and steelhead
Address all interests equally

9. Seven Key Elements: Projects & Cooperation

11. Funding Washington State Budget (2013-2015)
$30M for Integrated Plan
$9.5M – Water Supply Projects (CEPR and others)
$9.5M – Fisheries Projects (CEFP and others)
$5M – Water Conservation Projects
$5M – Habitat Projects
$1M – Groundwater Storage and Market Reallocation
Reclamation Appropriated Funding
FY 15 - $4.3M Cle Elum Fish Passage
FY 16
$9.5M Cle Elum Fish Passage and Water Supply Reliability
$12.6M YRBWEP Phase 2
FY 17 - $15.8M

12. Support for YBIP Legislation
Local Governments
Businesses
Conservation Groups
Cities:
Cle Elum
Ellensburg
Grandview
Granger
Harrah
Kittitas
Mabton
Moxee
Roslyn
Selah
Sunnyside
Tieton
Toppenish
Union Gap
Wapato
Yakima
Zillah
Town of Naches
Commissioners:
Yakima County
Kittitas County
Benton County
Red’s Fly Shop
Suncadia Resort
Tamarack Guide Service
Emerging Rivers Guide Service
Ellensburg Canyon Winery
Fremont Brewing
Roy Farms
Charlton Farms
Valicoff Farms
Chamber of Commerces:
Tri-City Regional
Ports:
Benton
American Rivers
Conservation Northwest
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy
Forterra
Headwaters Chapter TU
Kittitas Conservation Trust
National Wildlife Federation
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
The Nature Conservancy
Trust for Public Land
The Wilderness Society
Trout Unlimited
Washington Environmental Council
Yakima Fly Fishers
Federal Agencies
Tribal
NOAA/NMFS
USFS
USBR
Yakama Nation
State Agencies
Political Committees
WA Dept. of Ag.
WA Dept. Ecol.
WDFW
Kittitas County Democrats
Yakima County Dem. Comm.
Yakima County GOP
Irrigation Districts
Kennewick
Kittitas
Roza
Sunnyside Valley
Wa. St. Water Res. Assoc.
Yakima Tieton

13. Gateway and Cornerstone
Bateman Island

14. Recreation

15. Previous Studies 1998, 2004, 2011, 2014 High temperatures
Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Benton Conservation District, Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group and Benton Conservation District
High temperatures
Open Causeway
Temps reduced with flow on south side of Bateman Island
JUNE 25, 1939
September 25, 1940

16. Bateman Island Causeway Project
Phase 1
Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group (MCFEG) & Benton Conservation District (BCD)
Develop design alternatives that improve migratory conditions for salmon
Phase 2
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) & others
Implement Causeway Project
© Justin Wolff Productions 2016

17. Bateman Island

18. RESULTS
Temperatures of degrees = thermal block to late migrating salmon
Back water area is ideal habitat for non-native predatory fish
Causeway is a complete barrier to fish passage and river flow

19. Results Varying causeway breach sizes and configurations
Breaches of 260 feet and greater produced the most benefit of decreasing water temperature west and south of Bateman Island

20. Community Input April 2014 Full breach Partial breach
Focus = fisheries
Hand drawn by public
Partial breach
Full breach & breakwater

21. The Vision Breach causeway Remove a significant fish passage barrier
Improve river conditions for migratory salmonids
Access
Maintain public access
Provide new opportunities
Marina
Current, debris, sediment

22. Next Steps Outreach Share results from technical work group
Link Bateman Project with Yakima Basin Integrated Plan
Develop shared vision
Develop Partnerships
WDFW as lead agency
Initiate Summer 2017
Co-lead with Others(?)

23. Thank you! Michael Ritter Area Habitat Biologist
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
2620 N. Commercial Ave
Pasco, WA  99301
(office)