Kennewick irrigation canal overflows in 2 neighborhoods

A Kennewick Irrigation District canal overflowed in two places Tuesday morning after an automatic control gate malfunctioned.

The control gate for the Badger East Canal let more water into the canal than it was programmed to at about 2:30 a.m., said Chuck Freeman, KID manager.

No water reached any homes, and the water was receding by 11 a.m., he said.

Instrument technicians went out about 6 a.m. to fix the control gate, but at about 6:30 a.m., the canal overflowed at Interstate 82 and Reata Road.

There was some light damage to a storage unit, and more damage to a construction site where earth work had been for pouring concrete footings. The earth work will have to be redone, Freeman said.

The second overflow was where the canal goes under Kennedy Road, starting at about 10 a.m. Water continued to flow down Kennedy Road late in the afternoon, according to a homeowner there.

KID workers were able to use a 200-foot flood wall to divert water away from a house in the Candy Mountain Estates, Freeman said.

The recent lining and widening of the canal in the neighborhood helped prevent a worse problem, he said.

The canal would have overflowed there hours earlier without the improvements, he said.

KID workers also were keeping an eye on the Country Ridge neighborhood, Freeman said. Sandbags had been placed.

The water in the canal remained high Tuesday afternoon.

Customers served by the Badger East Canal were asked by KID to report any issues or concerns they observe.

Water users in the head end of the canal might have low pressure or no water until Wednesday morning, according to KID.

This story was originally published July 31, 2018 at 12:48 PM.