Jacobs Leads Water Supply Study on Lower Snake River in Washington, Idaho

Jacobs recently completed a Draft Report for the Lower Snake River Water Supply Replacement Study. The study, prepared for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), evaluates the impacts and potential solutions for water supply replacement in the regions surrounding the four Lower Snake River (LSR) dams (Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, Lower Granite) in Washington and Idaho. 

The study provides a detailed analysis of the current water supply benefits of the LSR dams and explores solutions and costs for providing replacement irrigation, municipal, industrial, and domestic water supplies if one or more of the dams were to be breached. The study also includes an economic analysis of current water supply benefits, a description of the availability of surface and groundwater resources and an identification of potential implementation issues associated with water supply replacement solutions.

Importantly, the study does not take a position on dam breaching but instead provides technical analysis aimed at informing future potential environmental compliance documents and feasibility studies. The study is one of several federal studies committed to by the U.S. government as part of a federal government commitment under the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, signed on December 14, 2023.

“This large and fast-paced study addresses several really significant challenges in terms of water supply, including potential new intakes and fish screens in a dynamic river environment, difficult conveyance corridors, water availability with projected climate change, and sediment considerations,” says Jacobs Project Manager Ron Fehringer. “We assembled a team of experts from Jacobs and key subconsultants, and coordinated closely with Reclamation and Ecology to ensure success in meeting the schedule and the study’s needs.”

Jacobs led the technical evaluations and engineering analyses detailed in the Draft Report. Our team, with support from several instrumental subconsultants, worked diligently over an 8-month period to ensure that the study provides a thorough and objective assessment of the potential impacts and solutions related to water supply replacement in the event of dam breaching. This focused and concerted effort resulted in the completion of the Draft Report on schedule, allowing the agencies to fulfill their respective commitments.

“Water challenges like those in the Columbia and Snake River Basins are complex and interconnected,” says Jacobs Executive Vice President Eva Wood. “Leveraging our experience across the global water cycle, we worked closely with Reclamation and Ecology to evaluate water delivery impacts and identify alternative engineering options for a resilient future in the Pacific Northwest.”

View the full Draft Report: https://www.usbr.gov/pn/fcrps/lsrws.html