Kennewick Irrigation District: KID to increase reliability by powering Chandler pumping plant

The Kennewick Irrigation District (KID) continues to secure a more reliable and stable water supply in times of drought for its customers. Electrification of the Chandler Power and Pumping Plant, first conceived in the late 1970s and then authorized by federal law in 1994, is in the process to full design. Current estimated cost to complete the project is $23.1 million; earlier estimates ranged from $30–$90 million.

Currently, the Chandler Power and Pumping Plant utilizes water power to operate hydraulic pumps, which lift water into KID’s main canal. This requires that an additional 1 ¼ gallons of “drive water” to operate the hydraulic pumps for every 1 gallon of irrigation water delivered into the KID main canal for our customers.

KID diverts both drive water and irrigation water from the Yakima River at Prosser Dam. That water travels 11 miles down the Chandler Canal to the Chandler Power and Pumping Plant. The drive water is returned to the river after it is used to run the Chandler hydraulic pumps.

Electrification of the Chandler Power and Pumping Plant would reduce the amount of water diverted at Prosser Dam because only the amount required for irrigation would need to be diverted from the river. A greater volume of water would be left in this critical reach of the Yakima River, increasing stream flows and potentially benefiting native fish populations.

KID is only able to divert Yakima River flows that exceed federally mandated target flows as measured at the gauge below Prosser Dam. With electrification, the drive water would be left in the river between Prosser Dam and Chandler Power and Pumping Plant to maintain target flows, and, at the same time, supplement KID’s irrigation needs during a drought. It is a win-win situation for KID customers and the environment.

Additionally, this project is now viewed as a “project in lieu of storage.” Without electrification, the Bureau of Reclamation will need to release water from storage reservoirs located high in the Cascade Range to meet KID water supply needs during the next drought. This means there will be less water available in storage for other pro-ratable districts that divert water from the Yakima River.

While KID has never used storage water in previous droughts, the impacts of upbasin conservation projects have contributed to lower river flows at Prosser Dam, making storage deliveries necessary in future droughts.

The other major initiative underway at KID is title transfer. This process will transfer ownership of all district infrastructure from the federal government to KID. The initial phase of title transfer will focus on 70 miles of canal, drains, and wasteways that serve irrigation water to 20,201 acres of farms and residences in areas south of the Yakima and Columbia Rivers in the Tri-Cities. In 2025, KID will pay off its original 1956 loan from Reclamation for the construction of our project. Funds are in the bank to pay off the remaining loan obligation.

Chandler electrification and title transfer will lead to better management and conservation of our water resources. Title transfer will empower the KID Board of Directors with the sole decision-making authority over the infrastructure the district maintains and operates, providing local solutions to local needs.

Electrification of the Chandler hydraulic pumps will allow KID customers to have a more reliable water source during the next drought, and will increase flows in the lower Yakima River, providing an environmental benefit in a river on which our families, farms, and fish depend.

This story was originally published April 1, 2018 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Kennewick Irrigation District: KID to increase reliability by powering Chandler pumping plant."