By Peter Sachs / The Bulletin
WASHINGTON - Farmers and ranchers in Jefferson County would gain flexibility in how they conserve and use water under a bill advanced by three Oregon lawmakers.
Under the plan, the North Unit Irrigation District, which includes about 50,000 acres in Jefferson County, would be eligible to participate in existing state water conservation programs. Currently, under its federal contract, the district can't divert water back into rivers. As a result, it can't receive state conservation grants.
One of the biggest changes would be piping projects to replace open ditches, thus greatly reducing the amount of water lost to evaporation, said North Unit Manager Bob Ringering.
"We can't do those kinds of things right now," he said, because of contract restrictions.
The bill would directly affect about 900 farmers in Central Oregon. Congress is getting involved because the North Unit Irrigation District was created by the federal government and works with the federal Bureau of Reclamation.
A spokeswoman for Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said the bill also gives irrigation districts flexibility in the future, as long as the local agencies involved all agree on the best course of action.
Currently ranchers and farmers in the North Unit get their water from the Crooked River. But once conservation programs are in place, the water that is saved would be returned to that river, increasing its flows.
If farmers in the district need more water, they would be able to take it from the Deschutes River instead, Ringering explained.
Since water is being saved though piping projects and other water-saving efforts by individual farmers, there will be no net increase in water taken from the river system, a spokesman for Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., said. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also supports the proposal.
Because the proposal is narrow, it is unlikely to be amended and should move through the legislative process quickly, Walden said in a statement last week. The plan is supported by at least five other irrigation districts in the area, as well as several environmental groups that monitor water usage.
“It’s beneficial not only to us, but also to the river,” Ringering said.
Walden was expected to meet with water users in Madras Saturday to discuss the bill.
Correction, published 4/10/06: