Lewiston Orchards Project Pilot Water Exchange
LOID is a special government district formed to distribute water to users within the LOID district area. In 2010, Reclamation and LOID conducted an appraisal investigation to evaluate alternative water sources for the Lewiston Orchards Project (LOP) and determine whether there is at least one viable alternative to pursue. A well field is one of the alternatives considered in the appraisal study; therefore, on August 27, 2013, the Bureau of Reclamation and LOID entered into Cooperative Agreement No. R13AC11013 to complete design and construction activities for a pilot groundwater well project to further investigate the practicality of the well field alternative as an alternative water supply. The objective of the new groundwater well is to exchange a portion of the LOP���s current surface water source for groundwater from the new well, to partially resolve impacts to endangered steelhead and their habitat caused by surface withdrawals of irrigation water. LOID and Reclamation agreed to share costs associated with this pilot project. The project is on-going. The LOID competed work for the well house completion task associated with this project, and they received a number of bids which all exceeded the initial amount budgeted for this work. Therefore, it is Reclamation���s intent to provide additional funds in the amount of $559,967 to LOID to cover the increased cost to complete this project.
Office: Bureau of Reclamation
mritacco@usbr.gov
