WORKING PAPER NO. 19 COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN PROJECT For Water Supply and Water Quality Management PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF WATER SUPPLY AND WATER QUALITY CONTROL ASPECTS YAKIMA PROJECT, WASHINGTON KENNEWICK DIVISION EXTENSION DATE: December 1961 Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by DISTRIBUTION Project Staff Cooperating Agencies General U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE Public Health Service Region IX Division of Water Supply and Pollution Control Room 570 Pittock Block Portland 5, Oregon ------- This working paper contains preliminary data and information primarily intended for internal use by the Columbia River Basin Project staff and cooperating agencies. The material presented in this paper has not been fully evaluated and should not be considered as final. ------- REPORT ON YAKIMA RIVER BASIN STUDIES PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OP WATER SUPPLY AND WATER QUALITY COMTROL ASPECTS YAKIMA PROJECT, WASHINGTON KENHEWICK DIVISION EXTENSION Prepared at tho Request of the Regional Director, United State* Department of Interior . Bureau oŁ Reclamation Boise, Idaho U.S. Department of Health, Education and Weifar* Public Health Service Water Supply and Pollution Control Program Pacific Northwest Region IX, Portland, Oregon December 1961 ------- YAKIHA PROJECT. WASHIHGTCH KEKKEHICK DIVISION EXTENSION Preface This report presents preliminary impressions relating to municipal end industrial water supply and stream quality control aspects associated with the proposed Kennewick Extension* Yakima Project, Baching ton. the project has been viewed froa tha standpoint of provisions set forth in Public Law 85-500, Title III, Water Supply Act and Public taw 84*660, Federal Kater Pollution Control Act, amended 1961 (PL 87-88). Vnter Supply The major municipal and industrial water users in the vicinity of the proposed Kennewick Extension are located in the Eichland and Kennewick, Washington areas. These areas, at the present time, are served by waters taken both from underground sources and surface flows of the Yakitaa and Columbia Rivers. Project _Features The Kennewick Division Extension (6,300 acres) is located in the extreme lower portion oŁ the Yakima Valley about seven miles vest of Richland and about fifteen miles northweDt of Kennewick. The lands within the Extension would be served by waters diverted from the Yakima River at the Proooar Diversion Dam and transported to the ------- Chandler Canal and thence across the Yaklma River to the existing Kennewick Main Canal. From near Klona, a diversion of 125 cubic feet par second would be made to the irrigable lands of tha Extension* Yakima River water diverted at the Prosser Dam would consist of natural run-off, reservoir storage releases and return flow from upstream land irrigation. During the months of July to October, and especially during the latter part of this period, diverted water would consist almost entirely of irrigation return flow* Adaptability of.Project for Water Supply and Quality Control^ Owing to the fact that the cities of Richland and Kennewick are located along the lower Yakima River and the Columbia River where relatively abundant supplies of water are available, no shortage of water to meet future increases in municipal and industrial demand in these areas would be expected. It is believed further that no significant future demand for municipal and/or industrial supply would develop within the Kennewick Division Extension. It should be pointed out also that tho lover Yakima River, during the latter part of the irrigation season, becomes enriched with nutrient and mineral materials leached from upstream agricultural lands. The presence of these materials in combination with certain climatic and temperature conditions could be expected at times to stimulate ex&esslve growths of algae and other taste and odor producing organisms in the ------- main river channel in the Prosser Fool and along the diver*ion canal* of the project. Rev water in this condition ie difficult and expensive to treat for domestic use and often cannot be returned to satisfactory potability. In addition, little is known concerning human consumption @f residual insecticides, pesticides and weedlcides that can remain in treated waters originating from agricultural land uses. Conclusiona In view of the relative convenience of the existing sources and the abundance of vater of suitable quality available in the Rlchland and Keanewick area and the belief that municipal and industrial water demands could not be expected to develop within the proposed project area, provision for M&l water supply in the Kenncwick Division Extension does not appear justifiable at this time. Since the Kenncwick Division Extension would involve reuse of waters already considered somewhat degraded in quality and the quality of return flows resulting from this reuse could be further reduced, no benefit assignable to the Extension for quality control appears possible. ------- |