Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 2019)
4 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD AGRI-BUSINESS WATER Continued from Page 3 The basic idea, Osborn said, is based on the water right, a legal right that en- titles the holder to use a certain amount of water for a benefi cial purpose. In Baker County and other places with a large agriculture industry, that purpose in most cases is growing crops. When water is plentiful the system all but runs itself, she said. “Pretty much every- body who has a water right can get enough water,” Osborn said. But in arid regions such as Baker County, where in many places the annual precipita- S. John Collins/Baker City Herald tion averages less 12 Baker County Watermaster Marcy Osborn said 2019 was a inches, by some point each year the streams good year in terms of irrigation water supply. no longer carry enough water to satisfy every water rights holder’s full solely by water volume, though. share. Osborn said the timing of the spring snow- That’s about the point Osborn expects her melt can also have a major effect on how early offi ce phone to ring. her offi ce starts getting requests from water It’s also the beginning of the hectic season rights holders. for her and her staff, which includes two assis- This spring, for instance, the snow melted tant watermasters. slowly and steadily. That meant streams That initial call inevitably is followed by in most of the county continued to produce others, Osborn said, each made by a water ample volumes well into summer. rights holder who no longer is receiving a full In some years, by contrast, a heat wave in allotment. May will rapidly melt much of the mountain The watermaster’s duty is to start cutting snow, leading to a big, but short-lived, fl ush of off water to the holders of the “youngest” water. rights — those with the most recent date. That negates to a large extent the benefi ts Even those can be pretty venerable, how- of even a deep snowpack, since irrigators can ever, in a county such as Baker, where the only use so much water at one time. oldest water rights date to the 1860s. “If it warms up into the 80s in May, we can During some drought years over the past be in the same boat as if we didn’t have a lot decade, Osborn said the watermaster’s offi ce of snowpack,” Osborn said. “Springtime really started its “regulation” season — responding makes or breaks the irrigation season around to calls from irrigators who were short on here.” water — as early as May. This year, as Osborn mentioned, most of the But 2019 was different. factors were favorable. “We had a really wet spring, it seemed like, And the combination of ample precipitation and good snowpack obviously helped,” Osborn and a mountain snowpack that melted slowly said. “We were about two to three weeks be- was refl ected in the U.S. Drought Monitor (see hind (last year) when we started regulating. maps at right). We defi nitely had more water this year.” See Water/Page 24 The irrigation season isn’t determined OCTOBER 2019 Watching The Drought Disappear... U.S. Drought Monitor February 19, 2019 Oregon (Released Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019) Valid 7 a.m. EST Drought Conditions (Percent Area) Current Last Week 02-12-2019 3 Months Ago 11-20-2018 Start of Calendar Year None D0-D4 D1-D4 D2-D4 D3-D4 2.12 97.88 80.91 56.97 7.13 D4 0.00 0.00 100.00 88.06 62.67 11.54 0.00 0.00 100.00 98.65 86.21 34.26 0.00 0.00 100.00 91.78 78.16 23.39 0.00 0.00 100.00 97.68 87.81 31.62 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 01-01-2019 Start of Water Year 09-25-2018 One Year Ago 02-20-2018 23.82 76.18 38.32 Intensity: D0 Abnormally Dry D3 Extreme Drought D1 Moderate Drought D4 Exceptional Drought D2 Severe Drought The Drought Monitor focuses on broad-scale conditions. Local conditions may vary. See accompanying text summary for forecast statements. Author: Brad Rippey U.S. Department of Agriculture http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ U.S. Drought Monitor March 12, 2019 Oregon (Released Thursday, Mar. 14, 2019) Valid 8 a.m. EDT Drought Conditions (Percent Area) Current Last Week 03-05-2019 3 Months Ago 12-11-2018 Start of Calendar Year None D0-D4 D1-D4 D2-D4 D3-D4 20.67 79.33 40.23 1.58 15.93 84.07 63.89 0.00 100.00 98.65 0.00 100.00 0.00 23.86 D4 0.00 0.00 25.91 0.00 0.00 86.21 36.38 0.00 91.78 78.16 23.39 0.00 100.00 97.68 87.81 31.62 0.00 76.14 38.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 01-01-2019 Start of Water Year 09-25-2018 One Year Ago 03-13-2018 Intensity: D0 Abnormally Dry D3 Extreme Drought D1 Moderate Drought D4 Exceptional Drought D2 Severe Drought The Drought Monitor focuses on broad-scale conditions. Local conditions may vary. See accompanying text summary for forecast statements. Author: Jessica Blunden NCEI/NOAA http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ U.S. Drought Monitor April 16, 2019 Oregon (Released Thursday, Apr. 18, 2019) Valid 8 a.m. EDT Drought Conditions (Percent Area) Current Last Week 04-09-2019 3 Months Ago 01-15-2019 Start of Calendar Year None D0-D4 D1-D4 D2-D4 D3-D4 76.65 23.35 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 D4 43.21 56.79 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 91.78 78.16 23.39 0.00 0.00 100.00 91.78 78.16 23.39 0.00 0.00 100.00 97.68 87.81 31.62 0.00 32.94 67.06 31.83 0.00 0.00 0.00 01-01-2019 Start of Water Year 09-25-2018 One Year Ago 04-17-2018 Intensity: D0 Abnormally Dry D3 Extreme Drought D1 Moderate Drought D4 Exceptional Drought D2 Severe Drought The Drought Monitor focuses on broad-scale conditions. Local conditions may vary. See accompanying text summary for forecast statements. Author: David Miskus NOAA/NWS/NCEP/CPC http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
