Roza Irrigation District Cancels Emergency Pumping Project

Due to the project jumping over $20 million in costs, the Roza Irrigation District has cancelled a promising plan that would have created a drought emergency pumping station in the middle of Lake Kachess.

Roza supplies water for much of the Yakima Valley, including Sunnyside and numerous other farming areas. Officials had been pursuing a plan that would have created an emergency pumping station in Lake Kachess. It would allow them, in certain drought conditions, to pump water directly from the lake and use it to prevent farmers from losing crops.

Roza was hammered among the hardest by the drought of 2015, and was looking at ways to get water to farmers in emergency situations.

The original cost of the project started around $57 million, but due to what officials say were "marine, and in-water work", the cost now sits at $78 million. Officials didn't elaborate as to what they mean by the marine and in water work, but now say the project is scrubbed.

However, they are still interested in the project, and think it's a good idea. But for now, it's just too expensive. It would have created six floating pumps in the Lake that would send water to the Yakima Valley in drought conditions.