Kennewick Irrigation District Information

KID was originally formed as a Special Purpose District in the State of Washington in 1917, but it originates much earlier, dating back to the late 1800s. The modern KID of today began in the early 1950s when the United States Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership with the District and farmers, built the canal system still used today. KID diverts water from the Yakima River at Prosser Dam. Water travels 11 miles down a diversion canal along the river to Chandler. There, hydraulic pumps as large as a garage send it under the river and halfway up the side of the Horse Heaven Hills to the head of the main canal. The Kennewick Division of the Yakima Project is a combined irrigation and power development project that includes the 12 megawatt Chandler Power Plant and Pump Station. The District serves over 20,200 acres of land within a 55,000 acre boundary. KID was initially built to serve the agricultural community in the Tri-Cities area. Today, the majority of ratepayers live in residential developments, and the change from farmland to urbanization is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. What is the Yakima Project? KID is one of six irrigation districts served by the US Bureau of Reclamation’s Yakima Project. The project extends for 175 miles on each side of the Yakima River. Water comes from the river and is stored in five reservoirs in and around the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains. About 464,000 acres are irrigated with water from the Yakima Project. From the head end, the water begins a trip of more than 40 miles to the end of the main canal, where it empties into the Columbia River. Long ago this location was the site of the small town of Hover. Our customers are served by 64 miles of open ch