Yakima River in the Kittitas Valley. Photo by Kittitas Reclamation District.
In case you missed the news, the Yakima Basin is in a drought for the third year in a row. The latest forecast estimates pro-ratable water right holders will receive only half of their normal supply, while junior users are curtailed entirely.
In dry years like this one, Yakima Basin cabin and camp owners that rely on surface water often have access to that water shut off. If you own one of these properties, we have a plan to help.
Yakima Basin cabin owner mitigation program
We’ve been working with cabin owners to mitigate their water use to avoid shutdowns. So far, we’ve helped roughly 640 camps and cabins get water right permits that ensure they are using water legally and that this use is mitigated.
If you’re one of the remaining unpermitted cabin owners in Kittitas or Yakima counties, we want to help you protect your water supply during years where you’d normally be shut down.
Unsure if your water use is permitted? Get in touch. We’re happy to help.
Please include your contact information, cabin location, and a brief description of your current water use, including whether it is surface water or groundwater supply, shared or community water system, or single domestic supply.
How much will this cost me?
Hint: you're getting a deal!
You’ll need to purchase mitigation to avoid getting shut off. While that requires one-time and annual fees, they are significantly lower than rates anywhere else for the same amount of water in the Yakima Basin.
Mitigation for a single rustic cabin may cost as little as $40. Your total costs depend on the amount of water used, with mitigation at $3643 per acre-feet of water. That $3643 per ac-ft covers what Ecology spent to buy the water right for mitigation.
In contrast, domestic water use in the basin can start at $10,000 per ac-ft and go as high as $50,000 to $100,000, depending on location.
Don’t wait to reach out
We started this program after experiencing severe droughts in 2001 and 2005. Now, we’re working with Aspect Consulting to carry out the final stages of permitting and mitigating for Yakima Basin cabin owners.
In the last 10 years, we’ve declared a drought emergency six times, in 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023-25. Specific requirements must be met for us to issue a drought declaration. Water supplies must be below 75 percent of average and there must be potential for undue hardships because of the low water supply. In these cases, declaring a drought allows us to provide emergency assistance to help public entities and irrigators.
With these droughts becoming a reality we face increasingly often, junior or unpermitted water users are at risk of being shut off each time we enter a drought emergency. We want to help you protect your water use and avoid future shutoffs.
Contact us if you aren’t mitigated or if you have any questions.
Andrea Reyes
Cost Reimbursement Coordinator
Department of Ecology
509-406-6426
andrea.reyes@ecy.wa.gov
Tyson D. Carlson
Hydrogeologist
Aspect Consulting
206-838-5842
tyson.carlson@aspectconsulting.com