Reclamation announces irrigation availability
STAFF REPORT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 7 months AGO
YAKIMA — The Bureau of Reclamation announced Thursday that the Yakima Project’s reservoirs were holding just more than 553,000 acre-feet of water as of April 1, meaning the system was about half full, according to a bureau press release.
That means holders of senior water rights will receive 100% of their entitled water allotment while holders of junior water rights are set to receive 82% of their water allotment, according to the press release. Current stored water levels in the system are roughly 76% of average, while precipitation in March was 59% of average and 76% of normal for the October-March period, the press release noted.
On April 1, the amount of water in the snowpack that will feed into the Yakima Project was 94% of average, the press release noted.
The Yakima Project provides irrigation water for roughly 464,000 acres of land along the Yakima River, including around 136,000 acres of tribal land, according to information available at the Bureau of Reclamation’s Yakima Project website.
ARTICLES BY STAFF REPORT
Othello man taken into custody in connection with Connell assault
OTHELLO — An Othello man was taken into custody Sunday morning following an alleged assault in Connell.
Othello man injured in crash that kills one, possible charges pending
WALLA WALLA — Possible charges are pending against an Othello man in connection with a crash early Sunday morning that killed a Umatilla, Oregon woman.
Okanagan Specialty Fruits names new head of enterprise strategy
SUMMERLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Okanagan Specialty Fruits has appointed Paul Carter as head of enterprise strategy, according to an announcement from OSF. In the new role, Paul Carter will work across OSF on enterprise strategy, investment decisions, long-range planning and major cross-functional initiatives, according to the announcement. The move follows OSF founder Neal Carter’s return to ownership of the company in June. Based in Summerland, British Columbia, Okanagan Specialty Fruits operates a packaging plant in Moses Lake and an orchard in the Frenchman Hills near Othello. “Paul brings a valuable combination of agricultural experience, strategic thinking and more than a decade helping organizations improve complex investment and resource-allocation decisions,” Neal Carter wrote in the announcement. “I’m very pleased to have him bring that experience to OSF as we build the next phase of the company.”