Aspect completed a plan and facilitated a tribal workgroup to develop options and select a preferred option to irrigate lands for crop production on the south slope of Ahtanum Ridge for the Yakama Nation. The plan identifies the irrigable acreage within the project area, provides design and construction costs for new or upgraded existing surface delivery methods, determines suitable crops for the area and the associated water requirements, and applies sound principles of economics to analyze project feasibility.
Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Water Resources Support
Aspect has provided ongoing support to the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians since our inception in 2001, and the history of Aspect personnel at Soboba extends back to 1980. Our work has included developing three wells exceeding a 1000 ft deep for domestic and irrigation purposes, assessing the feasibility of expanding irrigated acreage on the Reservation, providing technical input on impacts of the water district’s tunnel on the Reservation Springs, and evaluating impacts of off-reservation pumping. Recently, Aspect has supported the Tribe’s development of a comprehensive water system plan to address the diverse demands of their water system which includes community domestic, agricultural irrigation, golf course irrigation, and major development of a new casino. Key projects identified as part of the water system plan include construction of a new 2.0-million-gallon water tank and high capacity well (2,000 gpm). Aspect lead the development of plans, specifications, drilling oversight, well design and testing of the new Tribal water system supply well.
Icicle Strategy EIS Development, Facilitation, and Technical Studies
The Problem
Stretching across 212 square miles in North Central Washington, the scenic Icicle Creek watershed near Leavenworth is grappling with water problems that have led a diverse set of stakeholders to find a solution. The issues are many: helping endangered fish; ensuring tribal harvest requirements; meeting water supply demand for the growing City of Leavenworth; and serving agriculture and irrigation needs in the Wenatchee Valley; and improving fish passage and habitat. These are just some of the core guiding needs that triggered the Icicle Workgroup to begin work over six years ago on a solution – dubbed the “Icicle Strategy”.
How We Helped
Aspect is the technical and facilitation lead for the $82 Million Icicle Strategy effort, which is designed to improve instream flows, assist in agricultural sustainability, and provide for local domestic growth beyond the year 2050 in the Icicle Creek Subbasin in North Central Washington. Aspect serves the Icicle Working Group that consists of members including Chelan County, City of Leavenworth, Icicle-Peshastin Irrigation District, Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, Yakama Nation, Colville Confederated Tribes, the Washington State Department of Ecology, numerous federal agencies, local citizens, and non-profit organizations.
Our work has included facilitating Working Group sessions, technical evaluation of water resource projects across the subbasin (conservation, storage, pump exchanges, etc.); and leading the writing, review, and public presentation of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).
Icicle Work Group Milestone
The final PEIS, released in January 2019, describe a suite of recommendations including creek modifications for improved fish passage; residential conservation projects in the Leavenworth area; automating dam releases; restoring Eightmile Lake to historical and permitted high water storage elevation; and Leavenworth hatchery infrastructure upgrades; and other projects. The overall program is designed to improve instream flows, assist in agricultural sustainability, and provide for local domestic growth beyond the year 2050 at a cost of $82 million over the next 10 years.
Selah-Moxee Irrigation District Water Management Planning
The Problem
For over a century, the Selah-Moxee Irrigation District (SMID) has irrigated over 7,000 acres of the some of the most productive agricultural land in the Yakima Basin. However, areas surrounding their district have been challenged by declining groundwater for decades. To help ensure greater water security in the region, SMID assessed their water rights portfolio to see how they could leverage their currently supply to offset these declines.
How We Helped
Aspect set the stage for broad water management strategy improvements by auditing their water rights portfolio, including conducting GIS surveys to determine potential consumptive and non-consumptive water use savings from land use changes and canal lining. This groundwork led to helping SMID secure $150,000 in grant money to find supply side solutions around declining groundwater in their area.
SMID Milestones
The district has clear first steps to a more secure water supply for Yakima Basin groundwater user. Further groundwater management studies, led by Aspect, include a groundwater infiltration study aimed at retiming Yakima River flows to benefit the river during low flow months and water marketing studies to evaluate expansion of SMID service areas to move declining groundwater users onto more reliable surface supplies.
City of Othello Water Supply Consulting Services
The Problem
The City of Othello (City) lies in the semi-arid desert of the Columbia Plateau and is entirely dependent on groundwater. The wellfield for this growing City of 8,000+ has suffered significant losses in capacity for decades, which cannot be sustainably addressed by only adding more wells. Beyond water supply, the City has a strong food processing industry – already home to two of the world’s largest potato processors – which requires steady and large volumes of water to keep the supply process humming.
How We Helped
Aspect assisted the City in assessing options to provide reliable, long-term water supply and helped secure Department of Ecology Office of Columbia River (OCR) grant funding to complete an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) feasibility study and testing program. Aspect is currently implementing pilot testing using a new City well, Well 3R, that is instrumented specifically to allow for ASR pilot testing. Aspect developed well drilling specifications and provided direction, design, and management for construction of the new, 980-foot-deep well.
Client Milestones
The new well achieved water quality goals in a challenging environment and exceeded expectations for well yield. Well aquifer testing was completed in 2018, with ASR pilot testing planned for 2019 and 2020. The well testing and ASR program is a step towards the City developing a sustainable, reliable, environmentally responsible water plan for the Othello region that will serve Othello residents, food processors, agriculture, and the Columbia Basin region.
Icicle Creek Subbasin Watershed Strategy
Aspect is the technical and facilitation lead for the $82 Million Icicle Strategy effort, which is designed to improve instream flows, assist in agricultural sustainability, and provide for local domestic growth beyond the year 2050 in the Icicle Creek Subbasin in North Central Washington. Aspect serves the Icicle Working Group that consists of members including Chelan County, City of Leavenworth, Icicle-Peshastin Irrigation District, Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, Colville Confederated Tribes and the Washington State Department of Ecology among others.
Our work has included facilitating Working Group sessions, technical evaluation of water resources across the subbasin, and field assessment of seven alpine dams. The last two years focused on leading the writing, review, and public presentation of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). The final PEIS, released in January 2019, describe a suite of recommendations including creek modifications for improved fish passage; residential conservation projects in the Leavenworth area; automating dam releases; restoring Eightmile Lake to historical and permitted high water storage elevation; and Leavenworth hatchery infrastructure upgrades.
White Salmon ASR Feasibility Study and Pilot Testing
As part of our water supply and hydrogeologic services, Aspect is evaluating the City of White Salmon’s water rights and the potential for improving supply by using their existing surface water source and wellfield for aquifer storage and recovery (ASR). Based on our evaluation of hydrogeologic conditions, existing water system infrastructure, and seasonal availability of water for storage we designed and are implementing a pilot test to confirm the water quantities that can be stored and recovered, demonstrate compliance with water quality standards, and support permitting of new water rights for ASR use.
Wenatchee 2050 Watershed Planning
Aspect is working for the Chelan County DNR to implement the next phase of watershed planning in the Wenatchee Basin. This project, funded through state and federal grants, includes planning, permitting, capital infrastructure development, and public outreach/facilitation/litigation support services to ensure sustainable water supply and water resources for future communities and habitat in the basin. We are performing water rights permitting, creating a water rights tracking system of permitted and exempt water rights in 11 subbasins, and coordinating watershed planning in the critical Icicle Creek subbasin to support future capital infrastructure development. We are providing hydrogeological, project management, and GIS services to support the multiple phases of this long-reaching project.
Methow Valley Irrigation District Water Bank
After decades of litigation with the Department of Ecology regarding whether its canals were wasting water, MVID entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement to drastically improve irrigation efficiency. This created an opportunity for regional collaboration with Ecology (who desired additional water for fish), with the Town of Twisp (who needed additional municipal water supply), and with MVID farmers (who received inadequate reliable supply particularly at the end of the canal system). Aspect, in conjunction with teaming partners like Trout Unlimited, worked on developing a regional partnership for people (Twisp), farms (MVID), and fish (Ecology).
Aspect played several important roles in helping to coordinate and permit this $10+ million dollar project, including:
- Facilitation of public meetings to help gain consensus on the permitting approach and how water savings would be allocated.
- Primary author of trust water transfers to establish the Water Bank, and new permits to MVID and Twisp based on water supply savings.
- Assistance in negotiation of a purchase and sale agreement between MVID and Twisp, and a trust water agreement between MVID and Ecology.
- Developing the SEPA compliance documents for the project.
- Developing the first coordinated certification program in Washington State to allow dozens of new MVID users served by groundwater wells to receive certificated water rights for the project.
Additional maps and detail on this innovative project is available on the District’s website at http://www.mvid.org/ and an informational video below.
Goldendale Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) Feasibility Study
The City of Goldendale’s Simcoe Springs is a snowmelt-derived source of exceptional-quality water; the source is already insufficient to meet the community’s growing demands year-round, and may be reduced in quantity during summer months by future climate change. Aspect helped the City assess expanded use of the critical supply source—storing surplus winter spring flows in an aquifer and pumping the water back for use in the summer (ASR). Our ASR feasibility study developed the information required for an ASR permit application as specified in Chapter 173-157 WAC. Based on our recommendations, the City applied for a new seasonal water right to divert additional Simcoe Springs water for ASR.
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Paterson Pipeline
For the DNR, Aspect performed a regional-level evaluation of water rights, pipeline infrastructure potential, and water-supply scenarios to irrigate 4,400 acres in Benton County. We assessed solutions for areas with declining groundwater levels and recommended alternatives that solved complex permitting, water-supply infrastructure, water rights, environmental, and funding issues. A feasibility study to develop preliminary designs on a regional pump station is underway.
Okanogan and Ferry Counties Gold Mines
Aspect is assisting Kinross Gold Corporation with water right transfers, wastewater, and stormwater permitting for active, closed, and exploratory gold mines in northeast Washington. We transferred water rights, helped obtain new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and stormwater permit authorizations, and collaborated on design solutions for control and treatment of mine-impacted waters.
Glacier Springs Water Association
Aspect assisted the Glacier Springs Water Association with water-right support for water-system planning, municipal water-right conformances, and extent and validity review of its water rights. We helped facilitate meetings between Glacier Springs and Ecology, and developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to resolve a path forward over conflicting water-right interpretations. The outcome of the MOU process was Superseding Certificates that clarified that Glacier Springs’ water rights were for municipal water supply purposes.
Wenatchee Basin Coordinated Cost Reimbursement Program
Aspect is implementing a Coordinated Cost Reimbursement Program for Chelan County Natural Resources Department, Ecology, and area municipalities. The Program offered approximately 100 pending applicants in the Wenatchee Basin the opportunity to have their water right processed. The Program is currently in the implementation phase, with Reports of Examination being prepared for participating applicants.
Kennewick Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) Feasibility Study
Aspect initiated the City of Kennewick’s ASR concept to reduce diversion from the Columbia River during peak demand/critical flow periods while optimizing their existing infrastructure, consistent with the Quad Cities Regional Water Supply Plan and the WRIA 31 Watershed Management Plan. We completed the ASR feasibility study that included three required elements for ASR permit application (Chapter 173-157 WAC): the hydrogeologic conceptual model, environmental assessment, and project monitoring plan. As a result, the City secured more than $1M in funding to undertake ASR pilot testing, which likely will lead to full-scale implementation.
Horse Heaven Hills Water Storage Appraisal Assessment
Aspect assessed multipurpose water-storage options to increase irrigation water supply for the Horse Heaven Hills area—the agricultural center of WRIA 31 and an American Viticultural Area. We initially assessed 13 surface reservoir sites and, based on preliminary cost-benefits, we arrived at a preferred alternative of two in-channel surface reservoirs comprising approximately 100,000 acre-feet of storage capacity and 10,000 acre-feet of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR). The follow-on assessment retained Switzler Reservoir and demonstrated substantial public benefit by using the new water supply to mitigate impacts from new Columbia River water rights. The project involves diverse watershed stakeholders and is currently in SEPA review.
WRIA 30 Multipurpose Water Storage Assessment: Little Klickitat River and Swale Creek
Like other parts of Washington State, water is not uniformly available throughout the year in the Klickitat River watershed (WRIA 30), which can create conflicts between water demands for fish versus people. Aspect completed the initial assessment of storage options for developing new agricultural and municipal water supplies within two priority subbasins of WRIA 30: Little Klickitat River and Swale Creek. We identified prospective storage options based on each subbasin’s physical characteristics, irrespective of water needs. From our assessment, the implementing agencies have initiated a more detailed feasibility study for one of the identified options, in-channel storage within Dry and Idlewild Creeks to achieve both instream and out-of-stream benefits, which Aspect is conducting.
Water Supply Support for Soboba Band of San Luiseno Indians
Related to the southern California Tribe’s water supply, Aspect has provided a range of support from water rights litigation to the implementation of the resulting Settlement Agreement. Infrastructure projects have included siting and design of two 1,100-feet deep, high-capacity municipal supply wells; pump and well rehabilitation pumping cost analysis; SCADA system upgrades; stream gaging; water-level monitoring; database services; and geotechnical support for levee and creek crossing projects. Environmental support to the Tribe includes wellhead protection area plan, 305B report, and non-point-source assessment report.
WRIA 16 Hydrogeologic and Instream Flow Studies
Aspect performed four studies in WRIA 16/14B for the Planning Unit. The studies include a hydrogeologic investigation of the Dosewallips Brinnon area, an instream flow study, a hydrogeologic investigation at the Webb Hill biosolids facility, and a river/stream impairment analysis. These projects used methods ranging from use of stable isotopes for hydrogeologic characterization to a development of a GIS database and tool that allows for future updates and use by project stakeholders.
WRIA 48 Water Right Transfer and Water Bank Planning
Aspect assisted the Methow Watershed Council’s implementation of 20 planning actions recommended in the WRIA 48 Watershed Plan. This work included developing guidance and approaches for: identifying local resources to provide information and education on water-right transfers, assisting in evaluating existing water rights, facilitating placement of existing water rights into the State's Trust Water Rights Program, and administering a local water bank using Trust Water Rights to provide mitigation of new uses in the basin.