Inslee tours Sunnyside irrigation improvements

Mike Faulk

Yakima Herald April 18, 2011

Congressman Jay Inslee’s trip to the Yakima Valley—which began Saturday with his speech at the Democrats Roosevelt fundraiser—continued Monday with a tour of the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District.

Inslee, a Democrat now living on Bainbridge Island, was the U.S. representative for the 4th District when Congress passed the Yakima River Enhancement Act in 1994. The act authorized the federal government to appropriate money for system upgrades to improve efficiency in area irrigation districts.

Inslee toured the last of three new reservoir projects funded by the act which combined with other improvements will save up to 30,000 acre feet of water a year. The other two, in Prosser and near Grandview respectively, are already in operation, while the Sunnyside project has about a year and a half work left to be done, according to the district manager.

Inslee described the rocky, pear-shaped reservoir as "a work of art."

"We are seeing the culmination of federal investment," Inslee said. "We’re seeing Uncle Sam helping out in the valley."

Work to pass the act began under Inslee’s Republican predecessor in the 4th District office, Sid Morrison, and support for it has continued under his Republican successor, Doc Hastings.

"We’ve had Republicans and Democrats working on this," Inslee said.

He said even though he moved from the Yakima Valley more than a decade ago, he was happy to see the progress in water conservation.

"When you work on something it sort of becomes your child," Inslee said. "It’s something I feel very passionately about."

District manager Jim Trull said Inslee’s office called last week to set up the tour. Trull, who travels to the nation’s capital once a year, said he encourages the entire congressional delegation to visit the area when he updates them on the irrigation district.

" I’ve always said to come out, and last week he (Inslee) took me up on it," Trull said.

 

—Mike Faulk