The Washington State Water Resources Association (WSWRA) board of directors elected Scott Revell as WSWRA president at its annual conference last December in Spokane, Washington. Mr. Revell has served on the WSWRA board for the past 5 years and was the vice president for 2 years. WSWRA Executive Director Tom Myrum said, “I look forward to working with Scott as our president. He has proven to be a leader in the Washington irrigation community and has a long-term vision for his district, the Yakima basin, and water supply in general.”
Mr. Revell has been the manager of the 72,000-acre Roza Irrigation District (RID) in the Yakima Valley since 2013. He worked along side his predecessor, Ron Van Gundy, to shape the future of the district’s water supply through the development of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. He has pushed for federal legislation to authorize the Yakima River Basin Enhancement Program III. Mr. Revell has also spent a significant amount of time in Olympia, educating the state legislature and agencies about the integrated plan and to seek the capital budget appropriations necessary to get numerous projects off the ground.
RID has a junior water right in a water-short basin and is committed to the implementation of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan and the development of new water storage infrastructure, together with the continued aggressive pursuit of water conservation. RID has been engaging in drought management planning and has begun a multiyear capital planning for modernization of its World War II–era facilities.
RID’s growers produce nearly $1 billion in annual crop value. Primary crops include tree fruits, hops, wine and juice grapes, and forage.
RID has roughly 500 miles of canals and pipes, nearly 300 of which have been piped since 1983. Since arriving at RID, Mr. Revell’s efforts have been focused on restructuring the management team and implementing new operating efficiencies, nearly all of which were ideas that came from the staff closest to the wok being performed. RID has begun an exchange program with other districts, with first-line supervisors visiting other districts to see their operations and copy best practices.
Prior to serving as RID manager, Mr. Revell was the planning manager for the Kennewick Irrigation District. He also worked in city and county land use planning from 1991 until 2007, serving as planning director for Hood River and Walla Walla Counties. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Washington State University in history and public administration, respectively.