Watershed plan 14 years in the making
By DAVID LESTER
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Benton County Commissioner Claude Oliver recalls a meeting in Prosser 14 years ago where the germ of an idea took root during an extended drought.

The idea involved developing a plan that would meet future water needs for farmers, fish, and communities in the Yakima River Basin.

The watershed plan, approved by the counties two years ago, calls for measures to improve water quality, help irrigators use water more efficiently, expand fish habitat, and add storage

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MRC discusses ways to manage Mekong River resources

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) discussed a plan on developing the river's basin, fisheries, navigation, flood management and mitigation, irrigation, and watershed management, Laos' newspaper Vientiane Times reported Thursday.

Delegate to the 26th meeting of the MRC Joint Committee in Laos on Wednesday also touched upon a new drought management program, and hydrological conditions in the lower Mekong basin.

The meeting attended by representatives from four members of the MRC, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, and partner organizations, also discussed the MRC's achievements last year.

Point to Non-point Trades Stir Debate about VA and PA Programs

The effects of some nutrient reductions efforts in the Chesapeake Bay area today may not be realized for years due to the varied timeframes it takes nutrients to pass through slow-moving groundwater conduits. Some nutrients released by non-point sources can reach streams in a matter of weeks or months. However, the USGS estimates that it takes, on average, a decade before half of the nitrogen that sinks into groundwater seeps into a stream, and more time for the other half. This 'groundwater lag' raises concerns as some states look at nutrient trading regimes that would allow point to non-point trades, rather than solely point-to-point trades. The Pennsylvania and Virginia trading programs, recently created programs that allow point-to-non-point source trades. Both programs use the Watershed Model, a model for developing reduction strategies to meet annual caps, though the model doesn't directly account for the groundwater lag.

– View the Bay Journal article