The system consists of floating buoys the size of 30-gallon drums anchored at four different points in an attempt to further keep the rafters and other recreationists out of the wasteways flows.

The wasteway allows the Kittitas Reclamation District to empty the canal during emergencies. It is normally used at the start of the irrigation season when the system is being primed for irrigation deliveries.

Each fall Bureau of Reclamation uses the first 22 miles of the canal to carry water around a small stretch of the Yakima River while spring Chinook salmon are spawning in the reach between the Cle Elum and Teanaway rivers.

Contractors will be using a 40-ton crane to set two concrete blocks in the river for anchors, and then a river boat would be used to install the buoys to the shore and stream anchors.