Posted on Nov 3, 2023
Eastern Oregon group looks toward Columbia River to solve groundwater problems
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The people behind one of the newest irrigation systems in Umatilla and Morrow counties see the promise of their project in an onion shed south of Hermiston.
Local officials broke ground Thursday on the Ordnance Project, an effort meant to transport thousands of acre feet of water from the robust Columbia River to farms throughout western Umatilla County. The day before, the Northeast Oregon Water Association, also called NOWA, took a group of government officials, irrigation experts and business leaders on a tour of one of the projects they already finished.
The tour guides showcased the shed because the extra water had helped local farmers switch their land from growing canola and wheat to more water-intensive crops like onions. Those onions are being packed for shipping to large restaurant chains like Subway and Chipotle.
NOWA said its aim isn’t just to expand the area’s multimillion-dollar agricultural industry, but also to solve one of the western United States’ biggest challenges: a quickly dwindling groundwater supply.
Local officials broke ground Thursday on the Ordnance Project, an effort meant to transport thousands of acre feet of water from the robust Columbia River to farms throughout western Umatilla County. The day before, the Northeast Oregon Water Association, also called NOWA, took a group of government officials, irrigation experts and business leaders on a tour of one of the projects they already finished.
The tour guides showcased the shed because the extra water had helped local farmers switch their land from growing canola and wheat to more water-intensive crops like onions. Those onions are being packed for shipping to large restaurant chains like Subway and Chipotle.
NOWA said its aim isn’t just to expand the area’s multimillion-dollar agricultural industry, but also to solve one of the western United States’ biggest challenges: a quickly dwindling groundwater supply.
Eastern Oregon group looks toward Columbia River to solve groundwater problems
Posted from opb.org
Water
Farming
Agriculture
Posted 6 mo ago
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ONE HUGE MIGHTY STRONG RIVER: PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Checking versus savings
Modern irrigation turned Eastern Oregon’s high desert climate into an agricultural powerhouse.
While much of the region is still dominated by commodity crops like wheat and alfalfa, the farmland bordering the Columbia River can sustain root vegetables like potatoes and onions.
Local farmer and NOWA board member Craig Reeder said those crops are often sent to processors at the Port of Morrow, where they can be turned into products like French fries and shipped off to markets around the world. Irrigated agriculture helped turn the port into a place that supports 6,700 jobs with a gross domestic product of just under $1 billion.
For decades, the local agricultural industry supported itself with groundwater drawn from wells. But it’s a practice increasingly seen as unsustainable across the West as climate change delivers less rainfall and an overly permissive water rights system has depleted some aquifers for generations in Eastern and Central Oregon.
NOWA’s solution is to tap into the Columbia River. NOWA director J.R. Cook compared farm irrigation to bank accounts. The Columbia should act as the region’s checking account, with farmers grabbing river water on its journey toward the Pacific Ocean. The savings account is the groundwater, water that should be saved and grown.
NOWA has already been successful in getting farmers off of groundwater. For $94 million, the group and its partners completed east and west pump stations that move water out of the Columbia and into water lines that distribute it throughout Umatilla and Morrow counties in 2020. Most of those projects were funded privately, with less than 10% coming from government coffers."...
..."Checking versus savings
Modern irrigation turned Eastern Oregon’s high desert climate into an agricultural powerhouse.
While much of the region is still dominated by commodity crops like wheat and alfalfa, the farmland bordering the Columbia River can sustain root vegetables like potatoes and onions.
Local farmer and NOWA board member Craig Reeder said those crops are often sent to processors at the Port of Morrow, where they can be turned into products like French fries and shipped off to markets around the world. Irrigated agriculture helped turn the port into a place that supports 6,700 jobs with a gross domestic product of just under $1 billion.
For decades, the local agricultural industry supported itself with groundwater drawn from wells. But it’s a practice increasingly seen as unsustainable across the West as climate change delivers less rainfall and an overly permissive water rights system has depleted some aquifers for generations in Eastern and Central Oregon.
NOWA’s solution is to tap into the Columbia River. NOWA director J.R. Cook compared farm irrigation to bank accounts. The Columbia should act as the region’s checking account, with farmers grabbing river water on its journey toward the Pacific Ocean. The savings account is the groundwater, water that should be saved and grown.
NOWA has already been successful in getting farmers off of groundwater. For $94 million, the group and its partners completed east and west pump stations that move water out of the Columbia and into water lines that distribute it throughout Umatilla and Morrow counties in 2020. Most of those projects were funded privately, with less than 10% coming from government coffers."...
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