Case Study: Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District

Blueberries. Blueberries are huge in Yakima. Well, and there’s all the hops. Let’s not forget about the wine grapes. Oh, and the apples. That means a lot of water is needed to get to those orchards and farms. This has been what the Roza and Sunnyside Valley Irrigation Districts were set up to monitor and serve way back in the early 1900s.

“We provide water to farms, essentially,” said Nikki Musson, Office Manager, Deputy Treasurer for SVID, Deputy Treasurer for Division, and Roza Sunnyside Board of Joint Control member. “So, we’re part of the Yakima Basin Reclamation Project and are among several irrigation districts that serve and maintain all the infrastructure that transfers the water from the river to the farm.”

Wayne Sonnichsen, a district engineer with the Roza Irrigation District for 27 years, further clarified: “It’s critical infrastructure for us because we need to be able to slow down and speed up the water supply as it’s needed throughout the district,” he said. “Then we have reservoirs that can capture that water when there’s more water in the canal than is needed on the farm, essentially. Kelley Create is involved with all this infrastructure that we have.”

“In order to deliver water every day, we have to coordinate with all the landowners and know how much water they need,” he continued. “That’s where all of our cellular computer systems come into play, maintaining a whole database that can manage that whole system. The secure network that Kelley Create manages is making sure that there’s security in place for all our servers and switches. If something goes down, the alarms go off, and we get notifications immediately.”

The system is managed by Civil Engineer Technician Steve Hayman. “Steve’s good,” Wayne said. “He wears about ten different hats in that whole process. There’s an entire computer network that’s required to manage the system. It can be a nightmare to work on, but Steve’s managed a lot of information over the last year and a half.

Beyond ensuring the trains run on time, as it were, there are also significant security considerations when it comes to hacks, phishing scams, or other suspicious technology attempts. Nikki Musson explained further. “You’re reminding employees frequently: don’t click on the scam emails. There are new ones out constantly, so be aware and vigilant,” she said. “That’s a weakness that I think every industry has.”

So why Kelley Create? Wayne Sonnichsen cuts to the chase. “Because it’s working,” he said. “Kelley Create’s been very responsive to our needs. We get tickets out and get responses within an hour or two. Which is way better service than we’ve had for any other tech company we’ve ever worked with, in my opinion.”

Some might say that’s because millions of gallons of water moving around need extra attention. But the fact is, it’s not extra attention. It’s reliable systems, thoughtful implementation, and immediate service if something isn’t running as it should. Give us a chance to show how we can do it for you.