Roza’s Ron Van Gundy Dies

Former Roza Manager Ron Van Gundy died late last week; he was 73.  Van Gundy was hired in 1968 and was appointed Assistant District Manager in 1971 and District Manager in 1982 until retirement in 2002.  Since then, he continued to work part time for the District as Policy Director.

He was Roza’s longest term employee in the history of the district with his 49 years of service, and also the longest serving District Manager.  Van Gundy managed Roza with a steady hand through major droughts in 1973, 1977, 1992-94, 2001, and 2005 and earned the respect of water managers across the west as well as Roza growers.

He spearheaded Roza’s award winning water conservation program which has resulted in the piping of over 300 miles of canals. He partnered on an innovative water quality program with the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District which has resulted in dramatic water quality improvements in the lower Yakima River over the past 20+ years. He hired the first fisheries biologist in the area to work for an irrigation district and supported fish passage and screening improvements at irrigation facilities. He also fostered working relationships with several environmental and conservation groups.

He was deeply involved in protecting Roza’s water rights for nearly 40 years.  The $31 million Wasteway 5 re-regulation reservoir in Washout Canyon north of Sunnyside was a project he led for over thirty years. It is complete and will come on line in a few weeks.

He was proud of the strong relationship that he helped to establish between Roza and the Yakama Nation on water and fisheries issues.  He was asked to apply for Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in the 1980s.

Van Gundy was the 2001 recipient of the Washington State Water Resources Association’s Water Resources Leadership Award for excellence in water resources management, and the WSWRA distinguished service award in 2016. He served as president of the association in 1986-87. He was honored by the Northwest Irrigation Operators with the Headgate Award in 1996

Governor Inslee expressed his condolences to the Van Gundy family in a letter and praised Ron’s leadership and vision.

Van Gundy is survived by his wife and three grown children and numerous grandchildren. Smith funeral home in Sunnyside is handling the memorial arrangements.

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