Central WA receives $7M in federal grants

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two federal grants, adding up to more than $7 million, awarded by the Bureau of Reclamation aim to reduce the loss of irrigated water and improve salmon fishing opportunities in Central Washington.

Through the two grants, more than $4.1 million will be allocated to reduce West Canal water seepage in Grant County and $3 million to improve fish passage at Roza Dam near Yakima. The funding is part of the more than $8 billion for water infrastructure improvements passed as part of the Biden-Harris Infrastructure Law.

“These grants will reduce water loss from the West Canal, and continue the salmon conservation success story,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA). “Both projects represent smart investments that protect important resources for Central Washington communities.”

According to the release by Cantwell’s office, the $4.125 million grant will help replace a 1,500-foot section of the Columbia River Basin Project's West Canal where irrigation water intended for Grant County farms has been seeping out of the structure. The Bureau originally built the canal between 1946 and 1955. Water from the canal serves the Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District, which supplies water to farmers in Soap Lake, Ephrata, Quincy, George, Royal City and portions of Moses Lake.

The second grant will help more fish get through the Roza Dam on the Yakima River by building a fish screen to direct fish away from dangerous parts of the dam. Other recent Roza Dam modifications have increased juvenile salmon survival, according to the Bureau. A section of the river downstream of Roza Dam was opened for spring Chinook salmon fishing in 2022 for the first time in several years.