Needs of farmers, salmon sought with new Columbia River water deal
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The decades-long tug-of-war between farmers and environmentalists in Eastern Oregon's Umatilla Basin eased Friday when they, along with tribal interests and government regulators, agreed to a "declaration of cooperation" on a handful of projects to increase irrigation water without hurting endangered salmon.
The deal signed Friday by Gov. John Kitzhaber and members of a taskforce comprised of competing interest groups includes water storage projects that could divert more Columbia River water in the winter, which is less detrimental to fish than spring and summer withdrawals.
"There is a path forward that allows us to find solutions that balance both in-stream and out-of-stream uses of water," Kitzhaber said.
The rich farmland of the Umatilla Basin produces peas, potatoes, wheat, watermelon and other crops. Potentially valuable acres are left unused, however, because of insufficient water. The nearby Columbia River tempts farmers with water they can't use because it's targeted for hydroelectric power and salmon.
Bob Levy, a farmer who grows peas, corn and alfalfa, said the water problems will probably never go away, but Friday's agreement represents progress.
"Everything helps," he said. "The idea is to go slow and progress at a speed that doesn't harm the environment as we move into more agricultural activity."
The projects that won a consensus include:
— Completing the Umatilla Basin aquifer recharge project, which would divert water from the river in the winter, when its flow is high, and store it underground for future use. The governor's office says it should be up-and-running within three years.
— Repairing the Wallowa Lake Dam, which is now in such poor condition that water levels in the lake have been reduced. Fixing it would allow higher water levels and the subsequent release of more water during irrigation season. The governor's proposed budget seeks $250,000 for feasibility work. Construction could be done within five years, but more money will be needed.
— Building a Juniper Canyon storage reservoir, estimated at almost 50,000 acre-feet of water, which would be pumped from the Columbia during the winter. The governor's proposed budget seeks $250,000 for feasibility work. Construction would not occur for another 5-to-10 years, and money would be needed.
The Columbia River-Umatilla Solutions Taskforce also supports leasing water from Washington state, and developing a stronger interstate approach to Columbia water with Washington and Idaho. The agreements with Washington are expected to take several years, said Eric Quaempts, natural resources director for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Quaempts said the months-long process of reaching the agreement helped everyone understand there are no simple solutions.
"But it didn't get contentious," he said. "I think what happened was people began to appreciate why it's complex, why it's challenging and why you can't just go write a bill and get 100,000 acre feet out of the Columbia."
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
Well, now that Yucca Mountain is complete and all those union contracts are fulfilled and Reid et al shut it down for what the GAO calls "political reasons", and now that Hanford's overstocked nuke waste tanks are leaking, all that river water is going to be radioactive anyway.
The environmentalists in Nevada successfully protected the Yucca Mountain Cactus Salmon and the Endangered Desert Yeti from contaminated water. Fortunately, the food supply for all ten coyotes, the scorpions, tarantulas and the turkey vulture that live out there won't be harmed.
It'll be another hundred billion dollars to build another facitlity but nobody's going to approve it because they're about to defund Head Start and the national parks on March 1, and nobody wants to spend that much money just so politicians can shut that one down too.
This is the change you wanted, America. Enjoy your nuclear grain and salmon.
none of this will mean any thing unless they clean up Handford.
Just wait, Emporer Kitzhaber will Ban Farming to save more Salmon for his Sport Fishing Buddies. Inter Tribal Fisheries is probably next on his Hit list of Family Businesses that he wants to destroy like the Commercial Fishermen.
This agreement is a non sequitur, the peas alfalfa potatoes, wheat, watermelon and other crops, as well as all the fish in the Columbia River are going to be radioactive in a few weeks from the leaking tanks at Hanford.
@oodathunkedRead about how much the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste repository cost, and when/why it was cancelled after completion.
%s   Footnote 12.
Candidate Obama: "Nuclear power represents an important part of our current energy mix. Nuclear also represents 70%% of our non-carbon generated electricity. It is unlikely that we can meet our aggressive climate goals if we eliminate nuclear power as an option. However, before an expansion of nuclear power is considered, key issues must be addressed, including security of nuclear fuel and waste, waste storage and proliferation. The nuclear waste disposal efforts at Yucca Mountain [in Nevada] have been an expensive failure and should be abandoned. I will work with the industry and governors to develop a way to store nuclear waste safely while we pursue long-term solutions."Â Â Â Â Â Â September, 2008
"declarations of cooperation" are cool! other than the fact no one abides by them, time and money were wasted and ultimately the problem never ends. just like the ongoing gillnet v sports angler issue. BUT, dont worry mother nature is past the tipping point of EVER being a whole, balenced, beautiful system again. FACT. thoughts and prayers...this is happening for a reason. it's gods plan. lets pray. shall we pray i ask?
Money the source of all evil, water, the source of life..Blood is thicker then water, Blood is more costly then money. Peaceful resolution, Priceless.