OPINION: Congress Drops Ball On Basin Water Plan

Hope blossomed last spring in Washington, D.C., when federal money appeared headed to the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. Sadly, with the approach of winter, those hopes have been put on ice, at least for this year. Back in April, largely through the bipartisan efforts of Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the Senate overwhelmingly approved $92 million for the integrated plan, a compromise that aims to combine conservation and new storage to ensure a more-reliable water supply for Central Washington.