Basin farmer settles with Ecology for illegal water-use

Farrah Wardenaar has reached a settlement agreement with the Washington Department of Ecology after illegally irrigating cropland on Frenchman Hills near Royal City.

Water supply in the Columbia Basin Project is tightly managed not only to provide adequate water supply for water users, but to protect important fish and wildlife habitat.

Wardenaar received and appealed an order to stop irrigating her property in July 2013. She continued to illegally irrigate her cropland and Ecology issued a $59,443 fine in the fall of 2013.

Wardenaar has agreed to withdraw her appeal and pay $40,000 of the fin...