YAKIMA — A year after the region was hit with its worst drought in decades, farmers and irrigators in the Yakima Valley are smiling at news that there will be no water shortages this summer.
The federal Bureau of Reclamation made the announcement Friday, saying there should be plenty of water for farmers and fish even if the weather turns dry.
"We are really pleased," said Tom Monroe, operations manager for the 72,000-acre Roza Irrigation District near Yakima. "Even if precipitation is half of normal, the prediction of a full supply is outstanding."
Much of Washington has experienced wetter-than-normal weather since this water year began Oct. 1. Reservoir storage is at 73 percent of average, much better than last year’s 52 percent.
Auburn
Fisherman finds body in creek near Auburn: A fisherman found a body buried under a pile of rocks and debris in a creek Saturday, the King County Sheriff’s Office said. The fisherman was working his way along the banks of Mill Creek, near Highway 18 east of Auburn, when he noticed a boot sticking out of the debris and found the body at about 2 p.m., sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart said.
Tacoma
Tribe plans $200 million casino complex near I-5: The Puyallup Tribe is planning a $200 million casino complex — with waterfalls, a 250-room hotel, shopping arcades and a man-made lake — on tribal land near I-5 just east of the city. The tribe has chosen Nevada-based Morris &Brown Architects to design the complex, which will replace its Emerald Queen Casino on the Tideflats. The casino complex — with a 3,000-seat entertainment arena, health spas and a half-dozen restaurants — will be built on land now occupied by the tribal headquarters and bingo hall. "This is not going to be some big, gaudy casino," said tribal spokesman John Weymer. "It’s going to be more like a village."
San Francisco
Trial date set for wrongful-death lawsuits: A federal judge has set a trial date of Jan. 20, 2003, for the wrongful-death lawsuits filed by families of those killed in the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer’s order puts pressure on Alaska and the Boeing Co. to settle claims stemming from the crash. All 88 passengers and crew members were killed on Jan. 31, 2000, when the MD-83 plunged into the ocean off Southern California on its way to San Francisco and Seattle. To date, 28 cases have been settled, all but one under confidential terms.
Washington, D.C.
Senate agrees on pipeline safety program: The Senate approved tougher pipeline safety provisions and reached agreement on measures that would sharply increase the use of ethanol in gasoline, while phasing out an additive blamed for water pollution. The pipeline safety measure, approved by a 94-0 vote Friday, was inserted into a sweeping energy bill being debated by the Senate. Similar pipeline measures cleared the Senate in each of the past two years, but never made it through the House. The amendment calls for better training of federal and state pipeline inspectors, and expansion of pipeline monitoring and reporting by industry. Also, it would authorize more research into ways to make safer the nation’s more than 1.6 million miles natural gas and other fuel pipelines run by 3,000 operators.
From Herald news services
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