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December 10, 2009

Shoreline Management Plan Finalization Delayed
Grant PUD Plans to Incorporate Recreation Enhancements in Plan

EPHRATA, WA – Grant PUD commissioners plan to delay approval of the Priest Rapids Project Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) until early 2010.

Staff recommended that Grant PUD commissioners schedule SMP approval following submission of an anticipated Recreation Resource Management Plan (RRMP) license amendment.

This recommendation was made following recent discussions with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) staff, FERC-identified stakeholders and legal review. Grant PUD staff will include the recreation provisions required under the SMP license article for the Crescent Bar Recreation Area under the RRMP implementation schedule.

In addition to the recreation provisions specified for Crescent Bar, the license amendment will include proposed facility modifications along with a full implementation schedule for required recreation enhancements.

Originally expecting to approve the SMP by the end of 2009, commissioners will now be able to first review a comprehensive  schedule for recreation improvements required under the Priest Rapids Project license before authorizing submission of the SMP to FERC.

"Although these recreation improvements were called out in the license article addressing the Shoreline Management Plan, they truly belong with recreation planning,” stated Director of Natural Resources Gerry O’Keefe. “Aligning these plans with one another helps the utility remain consistent as we move forward with license implementation.”

The FERC-issued license stipulates the SMP must manage the many resources and uses of the lands and waters necessary to operate Wanapum and Priest Rapids dams, while the RRMP addresses project-wide recreation sites – existing and planned.

Commissioners expect to review options for future land use on Crescent Bar Island in early 2010.

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Grant County Public Utility District is a Washington state municipal corporation that began electric service in 1942.  Owned by the people it serves, Grant PUD generates and sells electricity to Grant County residents and millions of customers throughout Central Washington and the Pacific Northwest.  The Priest Rapids Project, comprised of Priest Rapids and Wanapum Dams, produces nearly 2,000 megawatts of clean, renewable and reliable electricity – enough to supply a city the size of Seattle.  A leader in science based technology; Grant PUD is committed to finding effective measures for the protection, mitigation and enhancement of salmon, steelhead and other natural and cultural resources.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dorothy Harris
(509) 793-1516 / dharris@gcpud.org