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Wahluke Watermaster Chuck Eagy is retiring after 21 years of dedicated service to the South Columbia Basin Irrigation District.
District crews were able to repair the leaking embankment late on July 7, restoring partial flow to the Potholes Canal that evening. Full flows were restored to the canal mid-morning on July 8. Deliveries will be made to waterusers as water is available throughout the District on Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9. Waterusers should communicate with their respective ditchriders and watermasters to coordinate water deliveries.
Midday today, Thursday, July 7th, 2022, South Columbia Basin Irrigation District staff discovered a significant leak at the north end of the Potholes Canal located in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. Because the leak threatened imminent canal failure, the decision was made to turn off water delivery from the Potholes canal. District crews and equipment are being mobilized to investigate the extent of the leak and the needed repairs.
Waterusers are urged to communicate with their watermasters and ditchriders to coordinate shut down of water deliveries. District crews will work around the clock to restore service. Water deliveries in all blocks except 2, 3, and 18 are affected. The duration of the outage is unknown at this time pending an investigation. This announcement will be updated as we know more and can establish an anticipated return to service.
The South Columbia Basin Irrigation District will begin filling the Potholes Canal on February 28, 2022. Deliveries from the Potholes Canal will begin on March 16, 2022 to the Mattawa area, Blocks 1, 2 and 3, and the Potholes area of Franklin County. Deliveries to Block 18 of the East Low Canal system are scheduled to begin on March 30, 2022.
Irrigation deliveries will be dependent on demand in the individual lateral systems.
In locations where pumping plants are required for irrigation deliveries, startup dates will depend on adequate orders to start the pumping plants.
Landowners will need to contact their Watermaster office for specific delivery dates and water availability.
During phase one of the Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery, the District office is not open to the public but we hope to be soon. In the meantime, please call us at (509) 547-1735 and we will happily assist you.
Once we transition to phase two and our office is open to the public, our hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our lobby will be limited to 25% capacity, so please call for instructions to enter the building.
Also, please self-screen for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Wear a cloth face covering. Do not bring other guests in with you, unless you are bringing children who must be supervised. We look forward to serving you.
On Saturday, May 30, 2020, Radar Pumping Plant in South Columbia Basin Irrigation District (SCBID) was struck by lightning, disintegrating a bus conductor and disabling the facility. In this interview by Irrigation Leader magazine, Dave Solem, SCBID Secretary/Manager, describes the event and the District’s actions to promptly resume water delivery.
Wenatchee World Newspaper reported Nathaniel Washington Sr. and Jr. will be recognized for their advocacy of hydropower and infrastructure advancement. Grand Coulee Dam’s third power plant will be “Nathaniel ‘Nat"‘ Washington” in their honor. To read the article, click here.
As the end of the 2020 irrigation season approaches, the South Columbia Basin Irrigation District (SCBID) will soon scale back ditchrider service from 6 days to 5 days per week. This is done annually as irrigation water demand declines. Full Saturday service will be provided though September 12th. After that date, ditchrider service will be available Monday through Friday.
The final day to order water delivery changes will be Monday, October 19th. On Tuesday, October 20th, ditchriders will close all farm unit and water service contract turnouts as they begin to drain the canal system.
Questions pertaining to the water shutoff dates and Saturday ditch rides may be answered by calling Dave Solem at the South Columbia Basin Irrigation District, (509) 547-1735. For emergencies that arise outside of our normal business hours, you may also call this number and wait for the appropriate prompts to reach your watermaster office.
