SENATE RESOLUTION

                            8708

By Senators Honeyford, Hewitt, Morton, Fraser, Deccio, Hale, Hochstatter, Parlette, Sheahan, Swecker and Rasmussen

     WHEREAS, the state of Washington is presently in a drought emergency; and

     WHEREAS, water storage is essential to the economic vitality of the Yakima Basin; and

     WHEREAS, the Keechelus Reservoir is capable of collecting and storing up to 157,800 acre feet of water, but is presently unable to hold its capacity and is at an extremely low level; and

     WHEREAS, Keechelus Reservoir must have major repairs prior to being able to hold its full capacity again; and

     WHEREAS, the repairs are to be funded eighty-five percent by the Bureau of Reclamation=s Safety of Dams program and fifteen percent by the basin irrigation districts; and

     WHEREAS, delay of the repair of Keechelus Dam will result in increased costs which are detrimental to the agricultural economy, further hindering the struggling agricultural industry and the entire economy of the Yakima Basin; and

     WHEREAS, immediate construction would result in less water loss and would in effect conserve this precious resource;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognizes the important role of the United States Bureau of Reclamation in the development and sustained prosperity of the Yakima Basin, especially in relation to timely decisionmaking in regard to Keechelus Reservoir ; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to United States Bureau of Reclamation.

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 2001-8708,

adopted by the Senate June 18, 2001.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate