The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1930-03-20
Legal Difficulties May
Make Temporary Plan
Impossible: High Line
May be Way Out

ne dIlHlOuSiy awaited report on
the Highlands water situation has
been received and made public. It's
tenor indicates that the Highlands
will receive relief before any other
portion of the project is undertake
en-.
The report offers suggestions as
to the manner in which the rehab-
ilitation may be accomplished and
leaves the way open for relief by
construction of the High Line pro-
ject as a whole.
The report is to the reclama-
ton department and was made by
special committee appointed by
Director Elwood Mead to investi-
gate the various units of the Yak
ina project to ascertain the extent
and order Of development. Copies
of it are in the hands of the dis
tricts affected and the department
is awaiting word from them as to
their acceptance of the conditions
set forth.
The recommendations of the
committee called for immediate re-
lief for the Highlands, to be fol-.
lowed by the construction of the
Gle Elum reservoir and later by
the construction Of the Rosa unit.
One Of the recommendation Of
the committee as to the method Of
providing funds for the Kenne-
wick unit was for the district to
sell its water rights, dam and the
right-of-way near Prosser for
money enough to complete the re-
building of the Highlands plant.
This will provide an increased
amount of water to the land now
under the pumping plant, as well
as to some 1900 additional acres
of first-class land, under the pres
ent system.
In the conclusions found by the
committee the following language
is used: Concurrent construction
of the Rosa and Kennewick divis-
ions would be economically UNI
sound. The long period prior to a
start on repayment would result in
frozen assets of formidable
amounts over a number Of years.
Relief for the Kennewick High
lands area of the Kennewick irri-
cation project now well populated
and intensively cultivated with
water pumped at great expense,
cannot be deferred over the nee
essary time to complete the pro-
ject works.
Provided the Kennewick High
lands situation is relieved as here
after outlined, the superior eco
nomic and settlement conditions on
the Rosa division make it advis-
able to proceed with the construc-
ton of the Rosa division when
funds become available.
The board has conceived a plan
contemplating that the Kennewick
Irrigation district, of which the
Highlands is a part, transfer to
the United States the Prosser dam
and power canal rights Of way ac-
quired by the district at cost Of
$196, 900, in return for the expend-
iture of such amount in the recon-
struction of works serving the
Highlands area; the United States
further to construct power plant
at the end of a two-mile canal from
the Prosser dam, together with a
transmission line to the Highlands
at an additional cost of S450,00O,
and supply power to the Highlands
for irrigation of 1900 acres at an
actual cost equal to the operation
and maintenance and depreciation
of the power plant and transmits
sion line, the cost Of the plant to
be returned from sales of surplus
power.
With this plan, annual district
cost would be reduced from $14
per acre to about $11 per acre, a
charge which should not rest too
heavily even tho continued indef-
initely.
In the recommendation made,
the committee says: That relief be
extended to the Kennewick High
lands along the lines outlined, az
promptly as necessary arrange
ments can be perfected and appro-
priations obtained therefor.
Directors of the Highlands Wa
ter Users association and the
members of the irrigation commit
tee of the Commercial club met on
Tuesday evening to consider the
After a complete under
standing Of the provisions suggest
ed, a resolution was drawn up and
sent to the department urging inn
mediate action and promising the
whole-hearted support to any plan
which promised speedy relief.