Engineers Eye Expansion of Sunnyside Canal
Federal investigators are surveying a massive project that could irrigate 30,000 acres of arid land between Kiona and Kennewick.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
R. K. Tiffany, in charge of the United States Reclamation service, J. G. Heinz, assistant manager of the service at Sunnyside, and Fred Bonstedt, engineer on the Highline and Kennewick extensions, are investigating the cost of enlarging the first 40 miles of the Sunnyside canal. The expansion could provide irrigation for 30,000 additional acres of land between Kiona and Kennewick. 'There is no question about the possibility of enlarging the canal or of the quality of the land,' Mr. Tiffany stated. 'All of the land lies within three miles of present existing railroads. The only thing that holds us back is the cost.'
“The only thing that holds us back is the cost.”
The transformation of the Columbia River Basin into an agricultural powerhouse hinged entirely on these early, costly reclamation projects. The 'Highline' extensions mentioned here were pivotal to the economic identity of the Kennewick area, showing how vital water control was to the town's survival.
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