State officials have taken the first step to designate a new groundwater management area where state- and federally-administered water sources mix, an area that has caused legal and regulatory headaches for decades. 

The state Department of Ecology recently announced the proposed boundaries for the Pasco Basin, which would cover the western half of Franklin County along with the southern third of Grant County and western third of Adams County. If the area is formally established, it will allow the state to develop a co-management agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the area’s groundwater, resolving longstanding uncertainty and possibly allowing for new groundwater supplies to become available. 

“For decades, water users in the area have relied on temporary water permits, which create uncertainty,” said Ria Berns, Ecology’s water resources manager, in a statement. “This boundary designation is the first step toward finalizing those authorizations and considering new water uses.” 

Farmers, ranchers and other water users rely on groundwater in the Pasco Basin. While the state oversees those groundwater permits, some of that water comes from surface level irrigation as part of the bureau’s Columbia Basin Project. That co-mingling has made it difficult to determine who gets to use that water and what agency is responsible for it.  

The proposed boundaries are now open to appeal. The entire process to establish the Pasco Basin is expected to take until 2027.