Tag Archives: 2025-27 state capital budget

Local senators say new state capital budget funds Odessa water project

The new two-year state capital budget passed unanimously by the Legislature today includes funding for key water-infrastructure projects throughout eastern Washington, including some benefiting the Columbia Basin, according to 9th District Sen. Mark Schoesler and 13th District Sen. Judy Warnick.

The capital budget provides $69 million for the Columbia River Water Supply Development Program, of which $44 million is for the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program, also known as the “EL 22.1 Project.”

It aims to provide surface water to deep-well irrigators and farmers in the declining Odessa Aquifer Subarea north of Interstate 90 and east of Moses Lake. The capital-budget money will help pay for completing the Odessa aquifer recharge for Othello, which will help store more water in the aquifer.

“This capital budget is a big win for water-infrastructure needs in the Columbia Basin and other parts of eastern Washington,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville and Republican leader on the Senate capital budget. “The EL 22.1 Project is extremely important for this region, especially agriculture. Three generations of farmers in the Columbia Basin are still waiting for irrigated water. Thanks to the funding in this capital budget, these farmers won’t have to wait much longer.

“Securing this funding has been a major priority for our region,” said Warnick, R-Moses Lake. “The Odessa aquifer has been in serious decline for years, and farmers have been anxiously waiting for relief. This project will bring critical water resources to help sustain agriculture and our local communities for generations to come.”

The Odessa water project also will receive $40 million in matching funds from area growers, said Schoesler and Warnick. The senators noted that the long-awaited project will bring water to 17,000 acres in the area and will take 36 irrigation wells offline.

“With this capital budget funding and the matching money from growers, this project is ready to start,” Warnick said. 

Warnick had an essential role in “letting other legislators know how important the Odessa water project is and helping to ensure it received the needed funding,” added Schoesler.

Schoesler and Warnick pointed out that 42 groups, nearly all of them in the Columbia Basin, wrote letters in recent weeks expressing support for funding of the EL 22.1 Project. They included Grant County commissioners, Adams County commissioners, Washington Farm Bureau, Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Grant County Economic Development Council, Adams County Development Council, City of Moses Lake, Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, City of Othello, Grant County Public Utility District, Port of Moses Lake, Port of Warden, Port of Othello, Town of Odessa, Town of Lind, City of Harrington, Big Bend Community College, Lincoln County Economic Development Council, Inland Northwest Partners, AgWest Farm Credit, Columbia Basin Railroad and EL-22.1 Landowner Association.

The new capital budget also provides $52 million for the Yakima River Basin Water Supply Program and $8.5 million for the Yakima-Tieton Canal to start fixing damage caused by a wildfire.

Construction and maintenance of state buildings, public-school matching grants, higher-education facilities, public lands, parks, water infrastructure and other assets all are funded by the capital budget.

“This final version of the capital budget helps pay for projects across the entire state. It lives within our means while doing a good job of addressing needs throughout Washington,” said Schoesler. “Many K-12 education projects are funded. It strongly funds fish hatcheries and also is a good budget for water projects, as well as housing and other needs. Our capital budget has something for every part of our state.”

Legislature approves two-year capital budget ‘for the entire state’

On the final day of its 2025 session, the Legislature approved the 2025-27 state capital budget, with the two Senate Republicans who helped develop this budget praising it for addressing needs throughout Washington.

“I’m pleased that the capital budget passed by the Legislature addresses many needs throughout the state,” said 9th District Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, the lead Republican for the Senate capital budget. “Realizing there were limited resources to pay for the capital budget, we made tough decisions every step of the way, working on priorities that satisfied both our side and the Democrats.

“I’m also pleased this budget leaves healthier reserves than is often the case going into the second year of a biennium. That’s important for addressing unforeseen problems next year.”

“The Republicans and Democrats on the Senate capital-budget team are on the same page – but our House counterparts have their own priorities, so there was a fair amount of pushing and pulling to get to a final product,” said Sen. Perry Dozier, R-Waitsburg, assistant Republican leader for the capital budget.

“I’m proud of how we held firm on the things the Senate views as most important, which include investments that will be seen in all four corners of the state. Education and behavioral health are priorities in rural Washington as much as anywhere in our state, and that is reflected here. It’s a solid budget, and deserving of the strong bipartisan support it received today.”

The new two-year state capital budget has a total price tag of $7.6 billion, with an ending-fund balance of $349 million. The Senate passed the capital budget 47-0 and the House approved it 98-0. It now goes to Gov. Bob Ferguson for his consideration.

It includes $975 million for K-12 education and early-learning projects, including $430 million for the School Construction Assistance Program. There is $202 million for Small District and Tribal School Modernization construction and planning grants, which will fund 40 additional small-school construction projects.

Another $151 million is provided for additional school seismic-safety grants, plus $6 million for the new school security and preparedness infrastructure grants program. The budget includes $5.15 million for CASE/Ag Science in Schools grants.

The capital budget spends $781 million on numerous housing programs.

Schoesler and Dozier, both farmers, noted the state’s fairs benefit from this budget, which allocates a record-high $9 million for competitive grants to agricultural fairs for health- and safety-improvement projects.

The new capital budget also provides plenty of money for water-related needs on both sides of the Cascades, with robust funding for eastern Washington water-infrastructure programs. Those appropriations include $69 million for the Columbia River Water Supply Development Program, of which $44 million goes to the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program, plus $52 million for the Yakima River Basin Water Supply Program and $8.5 million for the Yakima-Tieton Canal to start fixing damage to a wildfire.

In western Washington, $75 million is provided to fully fund the Chehalis River Basin Strategy, which includes flood control and salmon recovery.

The budget includes a record $75 million for 13 fish hatcheries statewide.

A total of $1.2 billion is allocated for projects at Washington’s four-year universities and other higher-education institutions. They include:

  • Washington State University: $25 million for the Sciences Building, plus money for preventive facility maintenance and building-system repairs.
  • Central Washington University: $12 million for the emergency backup power system, $11 million for the university’s Humanities and Social Science Complex, and $10 million for an expansion of CWU’s aviation-degree program.
  • Eastern Washington University: $10 million for the dental-therapy lab, as well as funding for facility-preservation projects.
  • The state’s community and technical college system receives $434 million for various projects.