Eastern Washington's rapidly declining groundwater highlighted in new study

With groundwater in parts of eastern Washington declining at an alarming rate, a new study confirms which areas are most vulnerable to the problem and could help set clearer goals for recovery efforts.

The Washington State University study evaluated groundwater levels throughout the Washington portion of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, which spans areas of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and supplies up to a third of the region’s irrigation water.

Researchers found that the Odessa region and the Yakima Basin in eastern Washington are seeing groundwater levels drop by at least 2 to 3 feet per year. The declines in those areas are primarily attributed to a combination of groundwater overuse and climate variability.

“This gives a quantitative target of how much water needs to be either put back into the ground or needs to be managed around to bring us back to some sort of steady condition,” said Sasha McLarty, study author and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Washington State University.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/08/09/eastern-washingtons-rapidly-declining-groundwater-highlighted-in-new-study/