Recognizing the Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District

Floor Speech

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Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary milestone in the history of American reclamation, Western agriculture, and responsible local stewardship.

On June 30, 2026, the Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District in Quincy, Washington, made its final construction repayment obligation associated with its portion of the Columbia Basin Project.

This is more than the closing of an account. It is the fulfillment of a promise made across generations.

The Columbia Basin Project is one of the great infrastructure achievements in the history of the American West.

At the center of the Project is the Grand Coulee Dam, one of America's most remarkable public works.

Through the Project's pumping plants, reservoirs, canals, laterals, and drains, water from the Columbia River is lifted, stored, delivered, reused, and put to beneficial use.

What was once arid ground today serves over 700,000 irrigated acres sustaining the production of potatoes, apples, wheat, corn, hay, grapes, livestock, and many other crops.

It also supports processors, equipment dealers, truck drivers, local banks, schools, small businesses, and rural communities whose futures are tied to the land.

Today, the Columbia Basin Project supports a diverse agricultural landscape that helps feed families across the country and around the world.

So we honor the Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District, its irrigators, its landowners, its employees, and the generations of Central Washington families who made this achievement possible.

I congratulate the District on this historic accomplishment, and I took forward to the continued success of Central Washington agriculture for generations to come.

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