With groundwater supplies in dire straits, Columbia Basin communities mobilize together to preserve their future
Disparate groups unite to advocate for sustainable water resources their mid-Columbia communities need to survive.
Longtime residents of Columbia Basin farming communities in Lincoln, Franklin, Adams and Grant counties understand deeply that water is precious. They’re in the heart of central Washington’s rich agriculture region that feeds not only our state, but the world, with wheat, potatoes and many other staple crops.
For generations, much of their water has come from ancient underground aquifers in a geologically complex and isolated natural system that is no longer capable of sufficiently replenishing itself. A 2012 Columbia Basin Groundwater Management Area Report confirmed the dire prognosis — the water is running out.