Travis Okelberry, district manager for the Yakima‑Tieton Irrigation District, told the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee on Jan. 13 that the Retreat Fire severely damaged the district’s 12‑mile main canal and diversion infrastructure in Tieton Canyon and that the district needs state advocacy and financial support to complete a multi‑stage, climate‑resilient reconstruction.

Okelberry said the Retreat Fire consumed thousands of acres, destroyed access and burned timber cribbing and other century‑old structures that protect concrete‑lined canal sections. He reported that the fire moved quickly the first night and that the district declared an emergency, closed the canal for three days, and began hazard removal and temporary repairs.

What the district found: Okelberry described large boulders, tree debris inside canal sections, concrete spalling from superheating confirmed by petrographic analysis, destroyed access bridges, thousands of dead standing trees near the canal and early post‑fire soil erosion and landslides. He described one section with less than one foot of clearance under a concrete‑lined pipe where landslide risk is now acute.

Costs and plan: Okelberry said the district has spent about $1,000,000 on materials and contractors for immediate repairs and has cleared nearly 9,000 linear feet of canal. He said the district has a preferred alternative to replace the upper half of the canal with box culvert and pipe and to abandon and tunnel the lower five miles that are perched on cliffs; he said the estimated overall cost is about $240,000,000 and that the district is considering phasing work over an 8–10 year period. He said the district supports $700,000,000 in modeled annual gross crop revenue tied to the irrigation system and estimated long‑term community economic impacts could reach $3,000,000,000 if the canal failed.

Requests of the Legislature: Okelberry asked committee members to advocate for the project at the state level and to provide letters of endorsement for funding applications. He emphasized that the canal supports agricultural irrigation, municipal and residential water, and fire suppression systems, and said a prolonged loss of service would threaten disadvantaged communities and public safety.

Context and partners: Okelberry credited DNR post‑fire recovery and community resilience programs for assistance and said federal technical teams (Burned Area Emergency Response, Jacobs Engineering and DNR’s teams) have assessed hazard locations and recommended high‑priority stabilization and monitoring work. He said access constraints and a short post‑irrigation construction window complicate replacement options.

The district answered legislators’ questions about phasing, federal funding, assessments and potential bonding; Okelberry said the board is considering phased reconstruction and that the district will leverage assessments and feasibility studies to pursue state and federal funds and local assessments or bonds as needed.