Major canal breach north of Tri-Cities puts damper on start to $2.7B growing season
The Columbia Basin’s 2024 growing season got off to a rocky start when a major irrigation canal north of Pasco breached as March 6 it was being filled with water.
The South Columbia Basin Irrigation District reported the Potholes Canal developed a leak near Cherry Drive and Dogwood Road, near Glade Road North in unincorporated Franklin County.
The breach happened five days after the district began filling the canal and just days before it was expected to begin offering water to farms and orchards.
Area farmers fear the damage could be particularly harmful to orchards, which spray water on blossoms for apples and other fruit to protect them against freezing temperatures, which remain a possibility in mid-March.
Canals filling now
The breach occurred as the three irrigation districts that distribute water from the massive Columbia Basin Project begin filling canals to serve farms emerging from their winter slumber.
Together, South Columbia Basin, East Columbia Basin and Quincy-Columbia Basin irrigation districts provide water to hundreds of thousands of acres that collectively produce crops worth nearly $2.7 billion.
South Columbia Basin Irrigation District, based in Pasco, began filling its 70-mile Potholes Canal on March 1 and expected to begin delivering water to the area on March 13.
Images supplied by Ross Fox, who farms north of the area, show water flowed freely through a gap in the Potholes Canal, south and southeast across a field and into a smaller channel that appeared overwhelmed in the aftermath of the deluge.
The floodwater damaged farmland and county roads and left a large amount of silt in its path.
In a statement posted to its website, the irrigation district advised onlookers to steer clear of the area, saying it is unsafe to be around the heavy machinery trying to repair the damage.
Burrowing rodents
John O’Callaghan, manager of the irrigation district, said burrowing rodents and sugar-like soils in the area contributed to the canal breach.
He said the main canal was repaired and back in service by March 9. Work continues on the damaged lateral canal and other structures.
He said the March timing is working in the district’s favor..
“There’s very little crop ground needing early water right now,” he told the Tri-City Herald. “That buys us room to maneuver. But there is some (need for water), and we are very concerned and doing everything we can.”
Fox feared the breach will affect early season activities, including spraying fruit blossoms when frost is expected.
A badly timed freeze could wipe out an entire orchard, he said.
O’Callaghan was mindful of the need to protect blossoms from frost, but noted the forecast doesn’t currently anticipate freezing temperatures.
Columbia Basin Project
The Columbia Basin Project is the largest managed by the federal Bureau of Reclamation and primarily spans Franklin, Adams, Grant and Lincoln counties.
The region produces fruit, vegetable, hay, grain and other agriculture products that collectively support 45,000 jobs in Washington, according to a 2022 analysis by Highland Economics shared by the irrigation districts.
South Columbia Basin serves 233,000 acres and counts Potholes Canal as one of its four main canal features. It delivers approximately 825,000 acre feet of water annually, enough to fill the Houston Astrodome 850 times.
The other two are the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District in Othello and Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District in Quincy
East Columbia serves 4,500 landowners and currently irrigates 169,000 developed acres. It expects to begin delivering water on March 18 and will begin filling its East Low Canal on March 20, with a delivery start date of March 25. East Columbia calculates the economic value of the crops it irrigates at almost $305 million.
Quincy-Columbia Basin, with offices in Quincy, said it delayed the filling of its West Canal after the Bureau of Reclamation spotted issues. The canal was being dewatered to assess the situation, according to a March 11 notice.
A new filling date will be set once repairs are completed.
Go to scbid.org/potholes-canal-breach
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