Senator Murray: “When Congress was negotiating final passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I did absolutely everything I could to secure funding to protect and recover our fish populations—including by supporting projects like the Cle Elum Pool Raise.”
(Cle Elum, WA) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $5 million in funding for the Cle Elum Reservoir. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Senator Murray was a leader in passing, and will help complete the Cle Elum Pool Raise Project to bolster drought resilience and support fish migration.
Cle Elum’s funding comes as part of $210 million announced by the Biden-Harris Administration for Drought Resilience Projects across the Western United States, aimed at delivering clean, reliable drinking water to communities battling historic droughts, including in Washington state. The Cle Elum Pool Raise Project will increase water storage capacity in the Cle Elum Reservoir up to an additional 14,600 acre-feet. This project is part of a long-term ecosystem restoration plan in the Yakima River basin. When the pool raise project is completed, it will support fish rearing, fish habitats, and migration and compliments salmon recovery efforts underway by the Yakama Nation.
“Salmon are an integral part of our culture, our economy, and our traditions here in Washington state—that’s why I fight so hard to make salmon recovery a federal priority,” said Senator Murray. “When Congress was negotiating final passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I did absolutely everything I could to secure funding to protect and recover our fish populations—including by supporting projects like the Cle Elum Pool Raise. By helping to increase the Yakima River Basin’s water storage, this project will not only support fish habitats and migration—it will prevent further damage from the historic droughts plaguing communities across Washington state.”
“We appreciate Senator Murray and this administration’s support for the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that provides this opportunity to work towards the completion of additional storage in the Cle Elum Reservoir,” said Urban Eberhart, Secretary Manager of the Kittitas Reclamation District. “This project is an important component of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan which will help the ecosystem and economy to be resilient to climate change into the future.”
As communities across Washington state and the western United States continue to face extreme heat, droughts, and wildfires, Senator Murray has been a leader in bipartisan efforts to provide relief for communities and improve water security. Last summer, Senator Murray led a bipartisan, bicameral effort to secure more relief for farmers, ranchers, shellfish growers, and other agricultural producers in the western United States affected by historic wildfires, droughts, and extreme heat. She also helped secure key funding as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure law to support communities battling historic droughts.
Senator Murray has successfully secured major investments that will benefit fish migration and support endangered and harvestable salmon species alike. Last month, Senator Murray secured over $16 million for fishery disaster assistance funding for several Tribes in Washington state. In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Senator Murray helped secure $220 million to create a new fish passage at the Howard Hanson dam that will be critical toward salmon recovery efforts in Washington state and the Pacific Northwest. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also delivered $1 billion for culvert removal, replacement, and restoration; $172 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF); and $207 million for the Coastal Zone Management Program, among other habitat investments.
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