Kittitas Reclamation District
NOTICE
April 15, 2024 - TRAIL ACCESS UPDATE: As of Monday, April 15, 2024, all trailheads at Cove Rd have been opened. For the remainder of the week, there will be construction equipment moving in and out of the area finishing up the project. Please be safe as you head out for your hike!
TRAIL ACCES UPDATE: Beginning tomorrow, Thursday, April 4, 2024, access to the Westberg Trail trailhead through the USBR right-of-way from Cove Rd will be open. Please be extremely cautious. There continues to be heavy equipment, trucks, and construction crews in the area. Access to the Boyscout Trail trailhead remains closed until April 15, 2024.
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The Manastash Ridge Trail Safety Improvement Project will begin on Monday April 1st. The project will eliminate the safety hazard of the open KRD canal in the lower section of the trail, where the KRD road is currently used for access to the Boy Scout Trail. This will result in temporary closure to access to the Manastash Ridge trails from Cove Road. The project will convert the portion of the open irrigation canal along the KRD road that is used to access the Boy Scout Trail to buried pipe.
The KRD access road adjacent to the canal will be used for construction. Access to both the Westburg Trail trailhead and Boy Scout Trail trailhead will be temporarily closed from April 1-3, 2024. There will be no access to the Boy Scout Trail trailhead from Cove Road from April 1-15, 2024. We anticipate all trailheads open after the April 15, 2024.
For additional information contact KRD at (509) 925-6158 or krdoffice@fairpoint.net.
Quick Links - Notifications
KRD OFFICE INFO
HOURS: 7am to 5pm, Monday - Friday
(Office will be closed all major holidays.)
Phone: 509.925.6158
Fax: 509.925.7425
MAILING ADDRESS
PO Box 276
Ellensburg, WA 98926
OFFICE ADDRESS
315 N Water St
Ellensburg, WA 98926
As a reminder, the KRD canal system and operational roads that surround them are for maintenance only. Please be safe, stay out of the canals and laterals as well as off the ditch bank roads.
ORDERING WATER
On April 4, 2024 the Bureau of Reclamation announced the April forecast for the 2024 Yakima Basin water supply. The adopted Total Water Supply Available forecast for the Yakima Basin indicates the water supply that junior water right holders will receive is estimated to be at 63% of entitlement for this irrigation season. As a result of the current conditions and this forecast the Kittitas Reclamation District (KRD) has set the water allotment for 2024 at 1.4 cubic feet per second which equals 2.8 acre-feet per assessed acre.
KRD will be starting water beginning at Lake Easton on Friday, April 12, 2024. You will start seeing water spread through the canals and laterals while we take care of any issues that may arise. As a reminder, the KRD canal system and operational roads that surround them are for maintenance only. Please be safe, stay out of the canals and laterals as well as off the ditch bank roads.
By Monday, April 15, 2024, landowners throughout the system will be able to order water by calling their Ditch Riders at 509-925-6158 between 7:00am-7:45am.
Ditch Riders
Ride 1 – Ditch Rider: Nick Newton, Location: West of Ellensburg, in the Manastash Rd, Weaver Rd, Robinson Canyon Rd areas.
Ride 2 – Ditch Rider: Matt Phillips, Location: Hayward Hill (Yakima Pressure Tunnel Outlet to Naneum Rd area.
Ride 4 – Ditch Rider: Matt McCune, Location: Naneum Rd and east to KRD boundary, South to Sorenson Rd, Hamilton Rd area.
Ride 5 – Ditch Rider: Steven Gordon, Location: Badger Pocket area.
Ride 6 – Ditch Rider: Jacob Heyen, Location: Upper Kittitas County.
Ride 7 – Ditch Rider: David Mayer, Location: East of Ellensburg, Pumping Plant Rd area.
About KRD
The Kittitas Reclamation District is located in Central Washington in the Kittitas Valley.
KRD facts:
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Approximately two thirds of all the irrigated acres in Kittitas County, approximately 60,000 acres, are serviced by the KRD's 330 miles of canals and laterals.
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It is the 6th largest irrigation district in Washington State.
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Thirty siphons, the longest is 3325 feet in length, and eleven tunnels help the canal keep as much elevation as possible.
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From its start at Lake Easton Dam to its terminus on the Turbine Lateral where it spills to the Yakima River the canal only loses 310 feet in those 78 miles.
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The KRD has a pro-ratable water right. In a drought year, when there is less water than it takes to fulfill all of the non-prorated water rights in the Yakima River basin, the KRD will receive less than its full entitlement. The last major shortfalls were in 1992-1994, 2001, 2005, 2015, 2019, and 2023.
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The KRD budget is funded by landowner assessments. The rates of assessment, as well as all KRD policies, are determined by a Board of Directors who are elected from landowners within the District. Board meetings are open to the public and are usually held the first Tuesday of every month at the KRD office.