It’s been almost two years since a wildfire severely damaged an important irrigation canal in Central Washington. Now, a federal agency is deciding whether the canal might need emergency help. The Yakima-Tieton Canal has been around for more than 100 years. The 12-mile canal helps irrigate thousands of acres of farmland in the upper Yakima Valley.
“ If this canal system fails, it will absolutely devastate the Yakima Valley,” said Travis Okelberry, the district manager with the Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District, in an earlier interview. In 2024, the Retreat Fire sent logs and boulders crashing through the canal. Heat blistered the outside. Irrigation district managers say the canal is an emergency waiting to happen, and fixing it is expensive.
“Every day, we have eyes on the canal,” Okelberry said. “It’s in bad shape right now.” Recently, President Donald Trump signed a law, which included a conference report that would require the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to decide if the state of the canal should be considered an emergency.
Oregon Public Broadcast
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