Lake Roosevelt water rights

We are making new water rights available for municipal, domestic, and industrial uses based on a program that releases water stored in Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam. New diversions from the river are available from the Canadian border south to Bonneville Dam, or from wells within a mile of either side of that stretch of the Columbia River.

Water rights sought for wells outside of the one-mile corridor may also qualify if applicants can show that the proposed well will draw from an aquifer that is in continuity with the river.

Lake Roosevelt water rights are fee-based and rely on a water service contract to reimburse the state's costs for developing the water supply.


Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River is making water available for cities and industry and for irrigators in the Odessa Subarea.

Lake Roosevelt water for cities and industry

We're tapping into water already stored behind Grand Coulee Dam in Lake Roosevelt based on a 132,500 acre feet storage right (1938) managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Of that, 25,000 acre feet of new water is available for application by cities and industry. The balance of water is providing relief to farmers in the Odessa subarea, augmenting streamflows, and supporting interruptible water rights in times of drought.

Water available for use under the Lake Roosevelt Supplemental Releases Program

Application processing

We process applications based on the priority date, qualifying purposes of use, and reasonable quantities deemed necessary to complete a proposed project.

Successful applicants must enter into a water service contract with us to receive the water. Annual cost of the water is $35 per acre foot per year. This reimburses the state for the amount the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation charges for the water.

All permits are provisioned to require the water user to install a fish screen at all surface water diversions, meter, and report all water use, and may include other provisions as necessary.