The Spokane Tribe of Indians has joined a partnership that intends to provide new water for irrigators and cities in the Columbia River Basin and support stream flows for endangered fish.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire welcomed the Spokane Tribe to the state's partnership with The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation after Spokane tribal leaders signed an agreement Monday that will facilitate the delivery of water from Lake Roosevelt to irrigators of 10,000 acres east of Moses Lake. Thse irrigators now rely on the rapidly diminishing Odessa ground water aquifer, which has been dropping an average of 7 feet per year for decades.

"The Spokane Tribe's signature means we can move ahead with securing a new water supply for the Columbia River Basin, the first step in meeting our legislative mandate to ensure that a thirsty region has water for agriculture and a growing population," Gregoire said. "Fish and wildlife will also benefit from this partnership with the tribes and federal water managers."

Cities that have been waiting for years for new water supplies will also gain from the agreement signed by the Spokane Tribe. Colville tribal leaders signed their agreement in December. The Bureau of Reclamation manages Lake Roosevelt and will deliver water to the Odessa area using existing infrastructure.

Stream flows for salmon are expected to be improved under the agreements by the release of additional water during the critical late-summer period on the river. During drought years, additional water will be made available to avoid temporary interruption of irrigation water.

"Grand Coulee Dam and Lake Roosevelt inundate our boundary rivers and other lands within the Spokane Reservation," Spokane Tribal Chair Richard Sherwood said. "This partnership with the state of Washington recognizes our interests and respects our culture. Until now, we have borne the burden that resulted from the storage and use of the Columbia River on our lands without any recognition of our legitimate stake in this resource."

The governor said the agreements with the tribes fulfill key goals outlined in historic legislation enacted in 2006 to pursue new water supplies in the Columbia Basin.

Loss of irrigation water in the area now served by the dropping Odessa aquifer could cost the agricultural region $600 million a year in revenue and the elimination of 7,500 jobs.

Subject to approval in the current session of the 2008 Legislature, the agreements authorize annual payments to the tribes in exchange for their support of incremental storage releases of up to 132,500 acre feet of water each year from Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River. This amount of water will lower lake levels no more than an additional 1.5 feet below current operations.

The governor is asking the Legislature to approve annual payments of $2.25 million to the Spokane Tribe and $3.8 million (first year) and $3.6 million in subsequent years to the Colville Tribes.

The payments will be used to mitigate the damage on fish and wildlife, cultural resources, and recreational activities resulting from the release of water from Lake Roosevelt, and for economic development investments to benefit the local economy. The funding is not for a purchase of water or water rights from the tribes.

Benefits of the agreements to non-tribal communities include $2 million Gregoire is asking for local governments around Lake Roosevelt to address priority water issues. The state will also avoid purchasing water at current market rates, which would be cost-prohibitive for a quantity similar to that coming from Lake Roosevelt.

The agreements to replenish the water supply in the Columbia Basin are supported by irrigation districts, farming organizations, environmental groups and government agencies.

Water users who will benefit from the partnership agreements include:

-- Irrigators of 10,000 acres of land in the Odessa Ground Water Management Subarea who will receive surface water from Lake Roosevelt.

-- As many as 379 holders of water rights who can suffer service interruptions during droughts. Most of them are farmers who use the water to irrigate their crops. The addition of 33,000 acre feet of water for use in dry years will create a "drought insurance" program for these water users.

-- Many of the 128 applicants for municipal and industrial water rights who will receive water under the agreements. 27,500 acre feet of water will be available each year and an additional 17,000 acre feet will be available during critical drought years to increase water held in-stream to benefit endangered salmon and improve the health of the Columbia River. The Washington Department of Ecology is on track to issue new water permits as early as this fall.