Richland Drainage Ditch to Reclaim 450 Acres
Engineering work is transforming marshland into valuable agricultural property north of Richland.
The story, cleaned up
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The Wright Construction company has formed a new camp about a mile and a half north of town to house and feed their men working on the drainage ditch. Work is progressing very favorably, and the superintendent, J. S. Barnes, hopes to complete the contract by August 1st. Already the tullies in the swamps which have been drained are beginning to die. It is believed that when the ditch is completed, it will drain approximately 450 acres of land north of Richland which is now affected by seepage. This is some of the best land in the Horn Rapids Irrigation company project and should be very valuable when reclaimed.
“Already the tullies in the swamps which have been drained are beginning to die.”
Early 20th-century irrigation and drainage projects were the foundation of the Yakima Valley's agricultural identity. These massive civil works projects essentially manufactured the landscape we recognize today in the Tri-Cities area.
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