Arnold Irrigation District is still unable to deliver water to its patrons despite working on unexpected problems with its new pipeline for three weeks.

The district, which converted 3.8 miles of canal into buried pipe over the winter, has experienced multiple problems with its system since it first attempted to deliver water in April.

“I am hoping that within a week everyone will start getting water,” Colin Wills, the general manager for Arnold Irrigation District, said Tuesday. “If everything goes right.”

Read more: East Bend farmers eagerly await more water as piping project ramps up

The problems started in mid-April with a malfunctioning debris screen located at the beginning of the piped section of the main canal. After 10 days of repair, another malfunctioning component was discovered at the east end of the main canal pipeline.

Arnold Irrigation District patron Lynne Connely relies on water this time of year for her livestock and worries she won’t get any water this year.

“They are not giving us any understanding of what they are dealing with. Either they planned poorly or it’s not what they thought it was going to be,” she said. “And we are just one household.”

Anticipated problems

Rob Rastovich, a rancher in the district and owner of Barley Beef, said his cattle are still using winter water from domestic sources. He anticipated problems with the new pipe and isn’t worried that it can deliver water as promised.

“The Arnold staff and contractor have been very responsive and working tirelessly to remedy the problems, and we’ve had a good wet spring,” Rastovich said. “My concern remains how long we can stay on.”

On Tuesday, the district was running a small amount of water through the canal, around 20 cubic feet of water per second, to flush the new pipe. More technical work is planned for Wednesday, said Wills.

Wills described the problem as working out the kinks of the new piping system, which is in the first phase of a $35 million project that will eventually pipe 12 miles of canal by 2026.

“We are just trying to figure it out,” he said.