Newhouse Requests Emergency Status for Yakima-Tieton Canal

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) sent a letter(link is external)alongside Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA), Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to Andrea Travnicek, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science, requesting the Bureau of Reclamation designate a state of emergency and at risk of imminent failure for the Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District's Main Canal.

"As a result of severe damage from the 2024 Retreat Fire, and landslide danger as a result of the December 2025 atmospheric river system that affected Washington State, the canal is, and remains, in a state of emergency," the Members wrote.

They added, "The urgency of this situation is dire and requires immediate attention and intervention. Our shared constituents are counting on the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Reclamation to partner with the Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District in this critical effort to minimize the risk of imminent harm to public health and safety and economic viability for those that reside in the Yakima Basin."

Language was included in the conference report of H.R. 6938, the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026 requiring the Bureau of Reclamation to determine whether the state of the Yakima-Tieton Canal is an emergency within 30 days of enactment of the law.

Rep. Newhouse voted for this package, and it was signed by President Trump on January 23, 2026.

If the Bureau designates the state of the canal is an emergency, the agency will have 30 days to issue emergency funding for rehabilitation.

The 12-mile Yakima-Tieton Canal serves approximately 28,000 acres of irrigation in the Yakima Valley.

See the full letter here.(link is external)

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