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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2010

Grant PUD Commission Soon to Review Options for Crescent Bar Island
EPHRATA, WA – Grant PUD commissioners will review a compliance analysis and recommendation report on Crescent Bar Island in early April. The report moves interested parties closer to knowing future use of the utility-owned island.

Approximately 400 parties currently hold subleases to individual recreational vehicle lots or condominium units on the island. Commissioners plan to address the island’s future well in advance of the 2012 expiration of a 50-year lease with the Port of Quincy.

Future plans for Crescent Bar Island must be aligned with the recently awarded federal license allowing Grant PUD to operate Wanapum and Priest Rapids Dams and manage the reservoirs above both dams.

“Our customer-owners along with those holding expiring leases on Crescent Bar Island and others who enjoy recreational activities in the Priest Rapids Project have been very patient as we finalize our plans for managing recreation and use of the water and lands of this incredible asset,” stated Commission President Bob Bernd. “While hydropower production is the primary use of the project, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requires that we also support public recreation on its lands and waters.”

Commissioners expect to review and approve a Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) in early March. Grant PUD is required to include provisions in the SMP to protect and enhance the scenic qualities of Crescent Bar Island and improve public recreation use in the area. Specific recreation measures for Crescent Bar are contained in an amendment to the Recreation Resource Management Plan, which will be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in late February.

Prior to finalization of both FERC-required plans, Grant PUD commissioners sought broad public input on recreation and land use in the Priest Rapids Project, including the future of Crescent Bar Island. The commission received comments from over 300 members of the public.
Eventual commission decisions on Crescent Bar Island will follow their April review of the compliance analysis and recommendation report. Any commission decisions must improve public recreation access and use and comply with existing state and federal requirements.
Those interested in the commission’s discussion of Crescent Bar Island and the Priest Rapids Project shorelines are encouraged monitor the Grant PUD Website for upcoming staff reports and agenda items. Audio recordings of commission meetings are also available for those unable to attend: http://www.gcpud.org/aboutus/index.htm

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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