The Sunnyside Canal Sale
Irrigation officials discuss selling the Sunnyside Canal system to the U.S. government to secure Yakima Valley land rights.
The story, cleaned up
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B. F. Blaine, secretary of the Washington Irrigation company, owner of the Sunnyside canal, has given out information regarding the negotiations for its sale. 'It is true that the Washington Irrigation company is willing to sell its canal and lateral system to the United States government for $250,000. This matter has been under consideration between the reclamation service and the Washington Irrigation Co. for a number of months. The purpose of the conference in Washington is to determine whether the complicated situation in the Yakima valley can be cleared up, and the land reclaimed. The further reclamation of lands in the Yakima valley is almost wholly dependent on the construction of storage reservoirs. The price at which the Sunnyside canal has been offered is much lower than what it would cost to replace the system. Under the canal as it now exists, there are in the neighborhood of 20,000 acres of land held by private parties which have no water rights. The United States government will be in a position to form the owners of this land into a water users association, if the government sees fit to go ahead. It is without doubt true that the reclamation of lands in the lower Yakima valley is the most feasible irrigation scheme on the Pacific coast.'
“The further reclamation of lands in the Yakima valley is almost wholly dependant on the construction of storage reservoirs.”
The transition of private irrigation systems to federal control under the Reclamation Act of 1902 was a foundational moment for Central Washington. This deal paved the way for the massive agricultural transformation of the Yakima Valley, the legacy of which still defines the region's water rights and infrastructure debates today.
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