Fed grant funding to help West Canal, Yakima River
STAFF REPORT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 7 months AGO
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A pair of federal grants will help save fish on a stretch of the Yakima River and allow for the replacement of a 1,500-foot-long section of the Columbia Basin Project’s West Canal, according to a press release from Sen. Maria Cantwell’s, D–Wash., office.
According to the press release, the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded more than $4.1 million to replace and rebuild a section of the West Canal, which provides irrigation water to the customers of the Quincy Columbia Basin Irrigation District. Originally built between 1946 and 1955, the affected portion of the canal has significant leaks, the press release said.
The canal provides water to farmers and other users in Soap Lake, Ephrata, Quincy, George, Royal City and parts of Moses Lake.
A second grant for $3 million will modify the Roza Dam on the Yakima River, making it easier for fish to get through and avoid a dangerous part of the dam, the press release noted. Previous changes to the dam allowed for the return of Chinook salmon fishing on a downstream portion of the Yakima River in 2022, according to the press release.
The grants come as part of $8 billion for water improvements in the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure and Investment Act passed by Congress and signed into law in late 2021.
ARTICLES BY STAFF REPORT
Connell woman killed in Booker Road crash
CONNELL — Charges are pending against a Kennewick man following a collision about 12 miles south of Othello that killed a Connell woman and injured three other people Tuesday evening. A Washington State Patrol press memo said intoxicating substances were a factor. Jessica Zarate, 37, Connell, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near the intersection of SR 17 and South Booker Road, the WSP memo said. She was driving south on Booker Road approaching the intersection when her car was hit by a pickup driven by John Reiss, 62, Kennewick. Edgar Garcia Quirino, 28, Othello, was driving north on SR 17 and ran into Zarate's car, the WSP memo said. The crash occurred at about 6:40 p.m.
Wheeler Road closed because of traffic collision
UPDATE: The road was reopened as of noon, according to a GCSO media release. MOSES LAKE — Grant County Sheriff’s Office has announced there is a road closure between Road 3-NE and Road S-NE. There was a serious traffic collision. GCSO is asking for drivers to avoid the area and find alternative routes. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Doors opening: The Currents will provide homeownership for more local workers
About 104 homes are planned at the former Atlas sawmill site
Teachers, nurses, firefighters and other workers who keep Coeur d’Alene running will soon have more places to buy a home in the community where they work. About 104 homes are being planned to be built at Atlas Waterfront, on roughly 10 acres that are part of a swath of land that was once home to the Atlas sawmill and is being redeveloped. Ignite CDA, the city of Coeur d’Alene’s urban renewal agency, is leading this effort.