"First public comments on Columbia River plan reveal dissent"

SeattlePI By SHANNON DININNY ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

"YAKIMA, Wash. -- When it was signed into law earlier this year, a new management plan for the Columbia River was hailed as a way to begin resolving the long-simmering dispute over water rights and threatened fish in Washington state's vital river system. If 120 pages of public comments are any indication, the sides still have much to settle. Irrigators and municipalities want new water rights by July 1, 2007. Conservation groups want a thorough environmental review of any project that could result in new water rights. And one tribe reserved the right to sue to remedy any disputes arising from the plan."

Read this excellent article for interesting quotes from various stakeholders.