State proposes water rights for Lake Tapps water-supply project

Draft Report of Examination

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Sept. 25, 2006 06-195

State proposes water rights for Lake Tapps water-supply project

OLYMPIA - Today the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) proposed a water right that would help supply the long-range water needs of the Central Puget Sound region, protect salmon, improve water quality and assist ongoing efforts to sustain Lake Tapps for many uses. The proposal is open for public review in a 45-day public comment period. Using Lake Tapps as a water supply reservoir to retain the lake was the preferred option from the Lake Tapps Task Force. In 2004, PSE stopped hydropower operations at its Lake Tapps facility as a result of licensing conditions that affected the economics of the project. Puget Sound Energy (PSE) applied for two interrelated water rights, in addition, to create the water supply project. One of the new water rights would authorize diverting water from the White River into Lake Tapps. The second related water right would authorize the storage of the diverted White River water in the Lake Tapps Reservoir. PSE and the Cascade Water Alliance, which is a consortium of cities and water suppliers in the Central Sound, are negotiating agreements that would allow the alliance to purchase these water rights and PSE's Lake Tapps facilities."