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Grant PUD Ratepayers Support Crescent Bar Island Plans
July 12, 2010

EPHRATA, WA – In an overwhelming show of support, Grant County residents are embracing public recreation plans for Crescent Bar Island once the utility’s lease with the Port of Quincy expires in 2012.

Since the April 26 commission decision to return the island to full public use, many Grant PUD customer-owners have provided positive comments both through formal written comment and in numerous conversations with commissioners and staff.

In the long run, the decision is the least costly option for the utility-owned island as it prevents the high cost of mitigating continued private use and avoids significant infrastructure improvements required if private residences remained. By taking this course of action commissioners are listening to local residents’ call for prudent economic choices as planning and research efforts continue.

The commission decision is consistent with federal license requirements allowing operation of Wanapum and Priest Rapids dams. Developing only public recreation amenities and enhancing wildlife habitat on Crescent Bar Island aligns with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) policy and the Priest Rapids Project license. Federal officials confirmed this in a May 14 letter accepting Grant PUD’s proposed plan and schedule for the island.

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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