Selah-Moxee Looking At Using Surface Water Into the Future

As concerns about dwindling groundwater supplies continue to grow, one Central Washington irrigation district is looking at how to best ensure deliveries into the future.  The Selah-Moxee Irrigation District is conducting a study looking at surface water as a possible alternative to decreasing groundwater supplies.  The Yakima Herald reports the district has secured a $75,000 federal grant from the Bureau of Reclamation, which the district expects to match.

Officials say the focus of the study is on more than 300 property owners in the Black Rock area east of Moxee.  The district irrigated more than 11 square miles for decades through groundwater from basalt aquifers, but the aquifers have declined about 10 feet annually over 40 years.  The study will include gauging the willingness of home owners to pay for delivery.

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