Kittitas Reclamation District North Branch Canal Lining-Phase II | BOR PN 17 N009

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR PN 17 N009

The Kittitas Reclamation District North Branch Canal Lining - Phase II grant opportunity is a continuation grant offered by the Bureau of Reclamation under the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project (YRBWEP), a program created by Congress in 1994 (Public Law 103-434, Title XII) after repeated droughts exposed how vulnerable irrigation deliveries and fish and wildlife needs were to limited water supplies. The basic idea behind YRBWEP is to invest in practical water conservation and system improvements that reduce losses in irrigation infrastructure, stretch existing supplies during dry years, and produce measurable environmental benefits such as improved instream flows and habitat conditions. This particular project also aligns with the 2013 Yakima Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (the Integrated Plan), whose Record of Decision listed Kittitas Reclamation District (KRD) canal modifications that reduce seepage and improve tributary flows as priority actions.

Phase II focuses on a specific high-loss reach of KRD's North Branch Canal, identified through feasibility work as particularly prone to seepage. The targeted segment runs between the Johnson Siphon and the Wipple Pumping Plant and totals about 14,169 feet, or roughly 2.68 miles. The project would install a geomembrane liner along the canal and then place a concrete overlay on top of that liner. The liner is intended to sharply cut seepage losses from the earthen canal, while the concrete overlay protects the liner from deterioration and damage and is designed to help the installation last on the order of 50 years. By addressing this high-loss reach, the feasibility study estimated the work would conserve about 2,773 acre-feet of irrigation water that would otherwise be lost to seepage.

A central feature of the proposal is what happens to the conserved water. Rather than simply increasing irrigation diversions, the saved water is intended to be delivered from the KRD canal system to tributaries in the Upper Yakima River basin, including Manastash Creek, under an agreement involving KRD, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other parties such as the Yakama Nation, which holds treaty-reserved water rights connected to fish resources. This ties the project directly to the program's dual purpose: improving reliability for irrigation users while also supporting fish and wildlife goals by boosting tributary flows and improving habitat conditions. The project is also consistent with earlier planning and investigations, including KRD's Water Conservation Plan completed in 1999 and updated with a 2002 addendum calling for long-term rehabilitation of conveyance facilities (including North and South Branch canal lining, re-regulation reservoirs, and extensive lateral piping). KRD previously completed some South Branch lining work and completed Phase I of North Branch lining in April 2017, making Phase II the next step in an ongoing, multi-phase modernization effort. Related technical support includes the Manastash Creek Investigation Report (March 2013), which highlighted canal lining and similar measures as tools to increase instream flows and enhance habitat, and a feasibility investigation completed by KRD in March 2015 that helped identify where conservation investments would yield the largest benefits.

The grant funds are intended to cover both engineering services and construction for the remaining Phase II work. The recipient responsibilities are extensive and include preparing the site for access and construction, installing the geomembrane liner, placing the protective concrete overlay, and obtaining all necessary permits (examples listed include water right, building, and conditional use permits or equivalent approvals). KRD would also manage procurement and construction administration by soliciting bids, negotiating and managing contractor agreements, overseeing construction, administering grant payments and invoicing, and coordinating with federal and state agencies to monitor and evaluate the project's effectiveness after implementation. In short, the opportunity funds a defined, construction-ready conservation project designed to reduce canal seepage losses, produce a quantified volume of conserved water, and translate those savings into tributary flow improvements that support basin-wide irrigation reliability and fisheries objectives.

Key program details from the source information include the following: the funding opportunity number is BOR PN 17 N009; the instrument is a grant; the opportunity category is continuation; the funding activity category is natural resources; the CFDA number is 15.531; eligible applicants are special district governments (which fits KRD); the agency is the Bureau of Reclamation; the original closing date listed is 2017-08-31; and the award ceiling is $5,649,504.

• The Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Kittitas Reclamation District North Branch Canal Lining-Phase II" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.531.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-08-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-08-31. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,649,504.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Special district governments.

Apply for BOR PN 17 N009

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