OLYMPIA - Governor Jay Inslee today requested legislation that protects and creates agricultural jobs and addresses fish passage and water supply issues in the Yakima Valley region.
“This is a solid step forward for the Yakima Valley and I’m pleased that we have such bi-partisan agreement on this proposal,” said Inslee, who has been involved with Yakima River Basin enhancement efforts since 1994 when he served the Yakima Valley in Congress. “More than 5,500 jobs are associated with Yakima’s agricultural and food industries and hundreds of thousands of salmon depend on the region’s waterways. This is a plan that’s good for jobs and for fish.”
A broad group of stakeholders worked together on a management plan to address water supplies that fall short of demand and salmon runs and returns that have declined over the past century.
Inslee’s Yakima River Basin Water, Jobs, and Fish bill directs the Department of Ecology to implement the plan. The plan calls for $23.6 million to restore fisheries and meet agricultural, municipal and domestic water needs in the Yakima River basin.
Further details and project descriptions are available online.