Canal repairs completed, water on

EPHRATA - Water flows to the Columbia Basin Project's Main Canal were restored early Thursday morning.

Water was shut off earlier this week, after a crack was discovered along the Main Canal. Crews have since repaired collapsed concrete panels in the canal just below Pinto Dam in eastern Grant County.

According to a Bureau of Reclamation news release, the canal and related facilities should be fully operational by this weekend. More than 200,000 acres of farmland were affected by the canal shutdown, according to the release.

The Quincy-Columbia, East Columbia, and the South Columbia Basin irrigation districts serve water to an estimated 680,000 acres in the Columbia Basin Project, according to Reclamation.

Reclamation will continue monitoring water flows in the canal as it becomes operational.