The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced earlier this month the complete transfer of federal water facilities to Washington State irrigation districts, a first for the state of Washington.
The new transfer of land falls under The John D. Dingell, Jr., Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, which manages the natural resources of the United States in a variety of sectors, including public lands and forests, national parks, conservation authorizations, national heritage areas, and more, according to Congress legislation records.
“I am very proud to see the conveyance of these two federal title transfers to the Washington irrigation districts as a direct result of the 2019 Dingell Act,” Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in a Feb. 2 Reclamation press release. “The 2019 title transfer process has given Reclamation a new tool that benefits both water users and the federal government."
The water facility in the Kennewick Irrigation District is one of two sites transferred under the Act. Created in 1917 as a special purpose district, the original site dates back to the 1800s, according to the district's website. Its current role is to divert water from the Yakima River at Prosser Dam to Chandler, where it is sent to the head of the main canal up Horse Heaven Hills.
“We look forward to the future benefits that title transfer will provide the Greater Wenatchee Irrigation District and appreciate Reclamation’s support to make this opportunity possible,” said Craig Gyselinck, Greater Wenatchee Irrigation District secretary/manager, according to the press release.
The Greater Wenatchee Irrigation District is also included under the new title transfer, which was created in 1923 with the goal of diverting water from the Wenatchee River, storing it in Lake Wenatchee, then delivering it to 29,000 acres of sagebrush and rocks via a complex series of canals and siphons, with one crossing the Columbia River.
