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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2015)
Wallowa County Chieftain wallowa.com Opinion/News DAM: Ag, tourism need waters of Wallowa Lake &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ This release of water during the mid-summer months will add to in-stream Àows which will Eene¿t ¿sh migration into Wallowa County. The cold waters from Wallowa Lake will es- Secially Eene¿t the salmon as they migrate to the spawning streams in the county. Farm- er/irrigators in the Umatilla area and others, short of wa- ter, will Eene¿t if they lease the water. Long term Eene- ¿ts e[ist during the summer months if this water is added to the ColumEia 5iYer. 8. The Wallowa Lake Dam, along with hundreds of other dams in the Unit- ed States, was designated a “high hazard dam” in 1979 Ey the $rmy Corps of (ngi- neers and 2regon Water 5e- sources Department during their inspections of all dams. This designation was placed on all dams (new or old) that stored 10 feet or more of water and/or 3000 gallons or more of water. Senate Bill 788 in 2009 fur- ther e[plained, if dams of this magnitude were to Eurst, it would most likely result in property damage and loss of life. 9. The Wallowa Lake Dam is an economic engine for Wallowa County. $griculture as we know it today in Wallowa County would Ee drastically different were it not for the Wallowa Lake Dam and the stored water Eehind it. Stored wa- ter from the spring runoff e[tends the growing season into late summer and early fall. (Yeryone connected to agriculture would Ee impact- ed. Think California drought. Tourism, the second largest reYenue producer in Wallowa County, would Ee negatiYely impacted in late July, $ugust, and SeptemEer. The state park at the head of Wallowa Lake would most likely e[perience fewer Yisits in late summer. Lost reYenue from these two major indus- tries means lost reYenue for all Eusiness owners in the county. Drinking water for the city of Joseph would Ee impacted in late summer. Sports ¿shermen would haYe a dif¿cult time putting their Eoats in the lake in late summer and fall. 10. Who is oEjecting" The $ssociated Ditch Com- pany ,nc. ($DC) has made application to Oregon Wa- ter 5esources Department for a permit for the aEoYe mentioned 4200 ac/ft of wa- ter. The permit has Eeen oE- (FRQRPLFLPSDFW ¿JXUHVXSGDWHG $ SDSHU WLWOHG ³7KH 9DOXH RI ,UULJDWLRQ :D- WHU LQ WKH :DOORZD 9DO- OH\ 1RUWKHDVW 2UHJRQ´ ZULWWHQ LQ E\ -RKQ :LOOLDPV $VVRFLDWH 3UR- IHVVRU 'HSW 5DQJHODQG 5HVRXUFH 2UHJRQ 6WDWH 8QLYHUVLW\ DQG )UHG 2EHUPLOOHU 268 ([WHQ- VLRQ 6SHFLDOLVW 5XUDO 1DWXUDO 5HVRXUFHV 3ROL- F\ KDV EHHQ XSGDWHG E\ -RKQ :LOOLDPV DQG %UXFH 6RUWH 2UHJRQ 6WDWH 8QL- YHUVLW\ ([WHQVLRQ &RP- PXQLW\ (FRQRPLVW 7KH VXPPDU\ LV EHORZ )RU D FRPSOHWHFRS\RIWKHGRF- XPHQW DQG WKH DVVRFLDWHG XSGDWHG SDSHU WLWOHG ³,Q- SXW2XWSXW :DOORZD /DNH 'DP 6FHQDULR´ YLVLW WKH ZHEVLWH IRU WKH 268 ([- WHQVLRQ RI¿FH LQ :DOORZD &RXQW\ KWWSH[WHQVLRQ RUHJRQVWDWHHGXZDOORZD ORFDO-SXEOLFDWLRQV Now we are in a po- sition to project the total Yalue of water storage Eehind the Wallowa Lake Dam to the Wallowa County economy. That Yalue is 3,079,000 or 457 per acre-foot per year, not counting any possiEle additional de- creases in Yalue-added due to declines in prop- erty Yalues and ta[ reYe- nues. This Yalue is direct jected to Ey a small special interest group in Wallowa County called “Wallowa’s Future Foundation,” “Pres- ident 5oEert 5eading and founder John Lenahan.” Others oEjecting are “0arc Stauffer, Chad Nash, Garrett Lowe, and 5oEert +ipple.” The oEjections range from, water aYailaEility, other’s water rights, release moni- toring, affects of downstream Eionomics, to effects on the downstream Àoodplain. None of which are Yalid reasons for trying to derail the permit. Oregon Water 5esourc- es Department’s response to written comments: “The Department carefully consid- ered the comments, and no puElic-interest issues under the aegis of Oregon water law were identi¿ed.” Who supports the rehaEil- itation of the Wallowa Lake Dam: The $ssociated Ditch Companies ,nc. ($DC) City Hells Canyon Mule Days Dutch Oven Cookoff Have fun, demonstrate Dutch oven cooking skills, and introduce the public to the joys and fun of Dutch oven cooking. Teams may enter one dish in two entry categories. There will be cash awards for 1st and 2nd place, and a gift basket for the People’s Choice award. FMI: 541-263-0104 hellscanyonmuledays.com for entry form & more info. effect, does not include the indirect and induced Yalue in the community. $s long as the Wal- lowa Lake Dam is main- tained in good repair oYer the ne[t century, it will continue to generate these annual agricultural and recreation Eene¿ts. ConYersely, if the dam were to Ee remoYed or Ereached, these local Yal- ues would Ee foregone. Under a remoYal or a Ereaching scenario, using a three-percent interest rate the present Yalue of the stored Wallowa Lake waters is 1.2 Eillion at four percent 919 mil- lion, Eefore adjusting for dam and irrigation system maintenance costs. This is assuming in in- crease in the Yalue of wa- ter oYer that timeframe. GiYen our assump- tions and our data Ease, we therefore project the current present Yalue of the Wallowa Lake water to Wallowa County and its residents to Ee Eetween 11,47 and 14,873 per acre-foot. This is the range of Yalues against which the net present Een- e¿ts, if any, to Wallowa Lake Dam remoYal or Ereaching must measure up. of Joseph 0inam Lake 5es- erYoir $ssociation North- west (lectric Power Con- serYation Planning Council DaYid Nelson, past Senate 0ajority Leader Northeast Oregon (conomic DeYel- opment District Nez Perce TriEal Fisheries most res- idents of Wallowa County Wallowa County Commis- sioners, 0ike +ayward Susan 5oEerts. 7RP %XWWHU¿HOG LV SUHVL- GHQWRIWKH$'&%RDUGRI'L- UHFWRUVDQG'DYLG+RFNHWWLV $'&¶VSURMHFWPDQDJHU July 15, 2015 A5 O BITUARIES &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ She is surYiYed Ey her children, Peggy $dams, Pasco, Wash., Gail Tally, (nterprise, Ore., Dennis Tally, 0agee, 0iss., Deanna and husEand $rt 9eyna, IssaTuah, Wash., her Erothers Gerald Gray, Clark Gray, sister 0arilyn 0cIntyre, grandchildren Jennifer (+iggins) 0endenhall, Lezlie (+iggins) .ehr, and 0c.enzie Tally, and three great-grandchildren, Cora, Graden and Nash .ehr. She was preceded in death Ey her husEand, $rlen, grandson, TreYor (T.J.) Tally siElings, Lenis Bales, Leona Scott, Lela Fordice, Lillian Newton and John Gray. In lieu of flowers, memorial contriEutions may Ee made to the $lzheimer’s $ssociation in care of LoYeland Funeral Chapel, 1508 4th Street, La Grande, O5 97850. Online condolences to the family may Ee made at www.loYelandfuneralchapel.com. COUNTY: Columnist celebrates 44 years here &RQWLQXHGIURP3DJH$ Grace Bartlett had Eeen a ski cluE memEer Eefore the rope tow, when they found a Sunday hill and skied it. When we opened the Eookstore in 197, Grace Erought us Eooks of stories she’d rounded up aEout local people and plac- es. $nd $lYin Josephy, who’d made his own journey from the (ast to Nez Perce country, came in each spring to scour the shelYes for local Eooks. +is gift was weaYing local stories into history he’d started with the Nez Perce, and Eecome a national historian of and adYo- cate for Indians. In 1988, $lYin and Grace and writers I’d met helped start Fishtrap, and for oYer 20 years we’Ye heard stories of the West, and shared the stories we’Ye found and made here with the world. $nd this weekend I’ll go to the powwow in Wallowa and Ee part of the Nez Perce home- coming. We’ll eat salmon, and dream a new old story with In- dian friends, that sockeye will run again in Wallowa Lake. &ROXPQLVW 5LFK :DQG- VFKQHLGHUOLYHVLQ-RVHSK Compassionate | Convenient | Confidential The Destination for All Your Outdoor Summer Needs! Stop in and check out our selection of sun care needs, first aid items and allergy treatment and prevention Give us a call today! Hours: 9 AM - 6 PM • Mon - Fri • 541-426-7455 541-426-7455 306 W. North Street, Enterprise