The $3.1 million water quality improvement project planned for the Rocky Ford Arm of Moses Lake took a big step forward in January. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conducted an environmental review of the project consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including a public comment period, and has determined that further environmental analysis is not needed and the project can move forward.
With the green light from NRCS, Columbia Basin Conservation District (CBCD) plans to implement the phosphorus mitigation project this June.
CBCD issued a Request for Proposals in August 2023 to identify a firm to perform the treatment. CBCD selected Eutrophix, a division of SePro corporation, to apply EutroSORB G to approximately 2,466 acres of the Rocky Ford Arm of Moses Lake. EutroSORB G is engineered to permanently bind with phosphorus and keep it stored in the sediment. This treatment is anticipated to reduce harmful algal blooms, keeping the lake safer for lake users.
The project will be closely monitored and the results will be shared with the community as they become available.
Photo by Becca Sawyer
Funding & Support for this Project
Thanks to Rep. Dan Newhouse, CBCD's $3.1 million Community Project Funding Request to help improve Moses Lake’s water quality was included in H.R. 8239, the FY2023 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Following input from Rep. Newhouse’s Community Project Funding Advisory Board, Rep. Newhouse selected and championed this important project along with several other provisions in the bill. Funding for the project is being allocated through NRCS to CBCD.
CBCD’s project request was submitted with support from the Grant County Commissioners, City of Moses Lake, Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, Cascade Marina, and the Moses Lake Watershed Council. This tremendous local support was instrumental in Rep. Newhouse selecting and securing this huge win for the health of Moses Lake, our community, and our economy.
"The impact this funding and project will have on our local communities and economy is incredible. I am so excited to see the hard work being noticed, and this project finding its funding. We owe a large amount of appreciation to the conservation district and those who have been working on this for many years," said Grant County Commissioner Rob Jones.
For more information contact Ronnie Sawyer, CBCD’s Moses Lake Outreach Coordinator at ronnie-sawyer@columbiabasincd.org
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