The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said more than 700 irrigation wells were drilled in the Odessa region. In June 2017, the Washington De- partment of Ecology issued cease and desist orders requiring landown- ers to stop pumping groundwater. In December 2017, the Department fined landowners for illegally pumping more than 500 million gallons of groundwater from the aquifer to water 530 acres of crops that in - cluded potatoes, alfalfa, and timothy hay. Agriculture is an important component in the Washington state economy. The state is the third largest food and agricultural exporter in the United States, generating $10.6 billion in revenue across 39,500 farms and ranches. Water is a critical resource, and the Odessa Groundwater Replace Project will be instrumental in helping farmers maintain their livelihood. While a labor intensive and sophisticated solution, the project illus - trates a creative solution toward solving an infrastructure problem that faces many U.S. communities.
“It is only speculative what and when would have happened without the project,’’ Scharlau said. “However, trends have shown a consis - tently declining aquifer.”
THOMAS RENNER writes on building, construction, engineering, architecture, and other topics for trade industry publications throughout the United States.
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