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February 5, 2016 CapitalPress.com NRCS helps Washington growers save water, money By ERICK PETERSON For the Capital Press The Natural Resourc- es Conservation Service is helping producers in Yaki- ma County, Wash., improve their water and land use, Corey Bonsen says. Bonsen is the NRCS district conservationist for the south-central team. His area includes Yakima, Benton and Klickitat coun- ties. In discussing the ways his office helps producers, he brings up the Environ- mental Quality Incentive Program, which is the ar- ea’s most popular program. “We help private land- owners and tribes meet re- source concerns that they have on their agricultural or private industrial for- estry grounds,” he said of EQIP. This includes forest- ry range, crop land — both Erick Peterson/For thre Capital Press Iin their Zillah, Wash., ofice, Simone Mansield, Corey Bonsen and Oscar Tobias of the Natural Resources Conservation Service discuss water projects underway in Yakima County, Wash. irrigated and dryland — and livestock operations. In areas around the Yaki- ma River, many producers are converting their irriga- tion to sprinkler systems to save water. Through EQIP, these producers receive fi- nancial assistance to help fund sprinkler systems, which may include a drip system or pivot. He said there are many examples of individual pro- ducers helped by the NRCS through EQIP, but one re- cent grower comes to mind. This producer, on the Yaka- ma Reservation, specializes in row crops and had long depended on flood irriga- tion. The producer had done some work with the NRCS on irrigation water man- agement to ensure that wa- ter reached the root zone of crops and did not push nu- trients and pesticides into the groundwater. Still, flood irrigation left him with limitations. Crops at the top of the field received more water than those at the bottom, and much water was used to push water across the field. With the installation of a drip system, made pos- sible with financial help through EQIP, the producer was able to conserve water, limit runoff and improve production. He also began planting areas around his field for wildlife habitat. This is a typical story of NRCS-producer cooper- ation, Bonsen said. There are many other stories in which dryland farmers have been able to reduce wind and water erosion. Also, much has been done for local ranges, with water projects that use resources more uniformly. Troughs, fences and off-channel wa- tering have helped improve water quality and animal habitat. He said that cooperat- ing individuals enjoy wa- ter savings. In some cases, producers can achieve 95 percent better efficiency. During the recent drought such savings have been crucial. “They’re saving quite a bit of water,” he said. And, as part of their cooperation, they install a flow meter that shows them their savings. 11 In addition to EQIP, oth- er programs have proven useful. The Conservation Stewardship Program, for example, was designed for people who are already displaying good resource use. These producers can sign up for enhance- ments to improve even more. The Air Quality Initia- tive and Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative have also been popular. Working in Zillah, Wash., with Bonsen, soil conservationist Simone Mansfield and civil engi- neering technician Oscar Tobias talked about NRCS’ work in the area. “There is always con- cern about water. This is a huge ag area, and a large variety of crops is grown. It’s good that we are able to help,” Mansfield said. W16-1/#24
