What is a Private Line Area?
A private line area (PLA) consists of irrigation systems that were developed by the property owners or by the original land developer and is not owned, operated or maintained by Kennewick Irrigation District (KID). KID does provide irrigation water up to a KID owned delivery point but the operation and maintenance of the system is typically the responsibility of the current property owners. Sometimes, those in a PLA are part of a Homeowners Association or some other group through which it is determined who will perform and pay for repairs and how to manage the system.
How Did a PLA Begin?
When the Kennewick Irrigation District was created, it was predominately agricultural in nature. Over the decades, agricultural farms were sold and subdivided by developers. For instance, a 40-acre orchard served by a single canal turnout became 160 single-family homes. Imagine this process repeating hundreds of times, resulting in over 26,000 unique parcels of land!
Today, when area of undeveloped land (often a farm) subdivides, KID requires the developer to install an irrigation system that meets KID standards. Thirty-plus years ago, a developer who subdivided an area of land was not required to meet any standards or dedicate the irrigation system to KID. This devleoper often opted to reuse the exiting farm system or installed a system to a different set of standards that would not meet the standards of today. For more than 7,000 parcels, this resulted in the creation of private line areas that are served by irrigation infrastructure that the public (KID) does not own.
What can KID do?
in 2017, the KID board of directors approved policy 2.43, the Private Line Area Conversion Fund, for those neighborhoods who are interested in the possibility of installing a new system operated by KID. If the neighborhood is supportive, meaning the majority, or over 50% of the residents are interested, and the board approves of the project, KID offers a variety of ways to finance it. Once an agreement is reached, KID’s engineering and operations team will design and construct the new system, or KID will elect to bid the project out and hire a contractor to execute construction. Simply call our Engineering Department at 509.586.6012 for more information.