Grant PUD seeks clarity in Columbia River Treaty talks
Commissioners hear concerns during recent workshop.
EPHRATA — Grant PUD officials continue to monitor Columbia River Treaty negotiations between the United States and Canada and how any future obligations might affect the local utility district.
The historic treaty signed in 1961 called for the two nations to work together on flood control and optimum power generation from 14 major hydroelectric dams – including Wanapum and Priest Rapids dams owned by Grant PUD — along the 1,200-mile river. Talks to modernize the treaty started in May 2018. Most of the original provisions expired in 2024, but the two countries announced an “agreement in principle” that year on key elements for an updated treaty.
But uncertainty and lack of clarity about the provisions still remain, Jeff Grizzel, the PUD’s senior vice president of power and market operations, told commissioners during their April 28 workshop session.
Among the issues that were outlined:
Currently, U.S. Congressional appropriations will be necessary to continue interim flood control provisions beyond federal fiscal year 2027. If funding isn’t made available, Canada will still assist in flood control but only after the U.S. asks for it, and only after the U.S. first exhausts the available reservoir capacity on its own part of the Columbia.
Grizzel said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is required to compensate Grant PUD for any lost power generation caused by drawing down Priest Rapids and Wanapum reservoirs to capture more water for flood control. However, to date, the Corps has said it has no means to compensate the district for such losses, Grizzel said.
And if drastic drawdowns are needed, it is unclear how they would conflict with the PUD’s numerous other federal obligations including fish and wildlife protections under the Endangered Species Act and cultural resource protection under the National Historic Preservation Act.
Grizzel said PUD staff and district contractors are working with federal officials to clarify or modify the conflicting obligations.
While the original treaty was primarily concerned with flood control and hydropower generation, other significant issues — and stakeholders — have arisen in the decades since then.
Among the topics are ecological impacts and the effects of climate change, fisheries management, irrigation for agriculture, and the equitability of providing millions of dollars worth of hydroelectric power to Canada annually in exchange for that country’s river and flood control management at the river’s headwaters in British Columbia.
In other business during last Tuesday’s workshop, PUD commissioners:
√ Approved a three-year collective bargaining agreement between the district and union employees represented by IBEW Local 77. The pact is retroactive to April 1 of this year and expires March 31, 2029.
Provisions include an 8% total wage hike and a retirement benefit enhancement beginning next January in which the district will match up to 2% of an employee’s straight-time wage contributions to a deferred compensation plan.
Also, for certain leadership positions, there is a 3% increase to their title wage rate; for example, a supervising foreman would see an increase from 120% to 123% over the wage rate of a journey lineman. Other job titles listed in a wage table will receive a one-time increase of 25 cents.
The new contract also contains clarifications and updates on union leave time, training, grievance and labor-management processes, and workplace policies.
Work groups designated in the contract include line crews; equipment operators; electric shop and telecommunications personnel; engineering staff; power plant operators and hydro maintenance personnel; fleet services technicians; warehouse personnel; temporary, on-call and seasonal employees such as fish counters, lands and recreation workers, and fish and wildlife specialists.
√ Approved a resolution to accept an apparent low bid of $16.56 million and award a contract to Michels Pacific Energy of Tacoma for labor and materials to expand Grant PUD’s Mountain View Switchyard. The winning bid was significantly lower than an engineer’s estimate of $36.53 million for the project.
√ Was informed that the district’s current “bottom line” net financial position for 2026 is projected at $288 million, an increase of 3%, or $8.7 million, above a prior forecast. “Results remain ahead of budget, supported by solid wholesale (power sales) performance and prudent cost management,” the district said in a summary.
