We are updating the Middle Columbia River – McNary Pool Geographic Response Plan (GRP). An important part of the update process is hearing from the people who live, work, and play in the GRP area. To facilitate this, a public comment period will be open from May 5 to June 5, 2025.
Description of the Planning Area
The MCRM-GRP encompasses the McNary Pool (aka Lake Wallula) and covers a 50.5-mile reach of the Columbia River, continuing to run east from just upstream of the McNary Lock and Dam (located near river mile 292.6) to the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam (located at river mile 9.7 on the Snake). Additionally, the plan covers the four miles of the Yakima River along with a portion of the Hanford Reach. The cities of Pasco, Richland, and Kennewick (aka Tri-Cities) are located within the boundaries of this planning area, as well as portions of Benton, Franklin, & Walla Walla Counties in Washington, and Umatilla County in Oregon.
What are Geographic Response Plans?
Geographic Response Plans (GRPs) are used to guide early response actions in the event of an oil spill. Ecology develops and updates GRPs in collaboration with state, local, and federal agencies and tribes. Each GRP is written for a specific area — for example, a river, a lake, or section of Puget Sound. Each GRP includes tactical response strategies tailored to a particular shore or waterway at risk of injury from oil.
GRPs have two main objectives:
Identify sensitive natural, cultural, or significant economic resources at risk of injury from oil spills.
Describe and prioritize response strategies in an effort to reduce injury to sensitive natural, cultural, and certain economic resources at risk from oil spills.
See GRPs for the Northwest Area (Washington, Oregon, and Idaho).
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