MOSES LAKE, WA (July 13, 2022) – Thanks to Rep. Dan Newhouse, Grant County Conservation District’s (GCCD) $3.1 million dollar Community Project Funding Request to help improve Moses Lake’s water quality has been included in H.R. 8239, the FY2023 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.
Following input received 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. Rep. Newhouse’s office anticipates the project will be signed into law later this year. Funding for the project will be allocated through the Natural Resources Conservation Service to GCCD next year.
GCCD’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.
Moses Lake is the heart of the 4th Congressional District and is part of the $364 million annual economic benefits generated by recreational boating in the district, supporting 1,209 jobs and 41 businesses. It is a significant asset of Grant County, which is the #1 fished county in Washington state.
Protecting and improving Moses Lake’s water quality and reducing occurrences of harmful algal blooms in Moses Lake has been a top priority for our community, elected officials, and legislators as evidenced by the volume of planning efforts, media coverage, and scientific data that has been produced over nearly 60 years, including the more recent formation and work of the Moses Lake Watershed Council.
“Achieving the goal of sustainable water quality for Moses Lake does not just happen, it requires the vision of citizens that see the value of the lake to their community and decades of work by dedicated professionals that share that vision,” said Harold Crose, chair of the Moses Lake Watershed Council. “Receiving this funding is a major step toward achieving that goal. We will continue our work on a comprehensive Lake Management Plan that will be the guiding document for sustainable water quality.”
About the Project
The $3.1 million project to improve Moses Lake’s water quality includes phosphorus sequestration technology that would be utilized in the inflow area of Rocky Ford Creek to reduce external phosphorus loading by 2000+ pounds per year. Lanthanum-modified bentonite clay and other technologies will be used in deeper areas of the Rocky Ford Arm to prevent the release of phosphorus and mitigate approximately 10,000 pounds of internal phosphorus loading. Additional monitoring will be completed in Moses Lake (sediment and water quality) to monitor the impacts of the project and to provide quantitative data to guide additional restoration in the future.
This key project is one of several projects and programs that have been identified and are being pursued to help achieve the water quality improvements that we are striving for.
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For more information on our locally-led work to improve Moses Lake’s water quality, visit the Moses Lake Watershed Council’s website at: https://www.moseslakewatershed.org/
