Roza Diverting Water For The Next Couple Of Weeks

On Tuesday, the Roza Irrigation district temporarily stopped diverting water for a "temporary drought related shutdown".  The move came after Roza was notified by the Bureau of Reclamation that water rationing would start on May 20 and runs for 7-13 days.  Reclamation said this move will free up roughly 7,000-13,000 acre feet to use throughout the upcoming irrigation season.

Roza officials say customers will need to re-order water prior to the restart of the system, adding that a more details restart schedule will be e-mailed in a few days.  Water can be ordered starting Tuesday May 27th.

The Next Water Availability Forecast Will Come In Early June

Roza added they are shutting down now instead of later in the year because this is typically the coolest part of the season, something they are trying to take advantage of.  They said there is no excess water in the river so delaying the shutdown would not provide the district any benefit.  District officials said they will monitor the weather forecasts in Moxee/Sunnyside/Benton City during the shutdown and will work closely with the Board of Directors to determine the exact duration of the shutdown.

In addition, the Roza Irrigation District noted:

• To expedite the re-start the District will close valves to hold water in pipes wherever possible, prime the system with the re-regulation reservoirs simultaneously. Draining & filling the canal system uses around 700-800 AF.
• Deliveries are tentatively planned to be at 3.6 gpm/ac. when the system is restarted and are scheduled to remain at that level through mid-June. There are variables which will continue to affect the delivery schedule.
• The water supply forecast is officially listed at 48%.  The next forecast is scheduled for June 5th.  Roza is using 47% as the planning basis, and the supply may deteriorate further.
• You will see an increase in flows of the Yakima River running through the weekend.  This increase is from a pulse of conserved water from the reservoirs to flush juvenile salmon and steelhead out of the Yakima River system.    This water is not available for irrigation. 

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