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March 31, 2017 CapitalPress.com 3 Irrigators criticize $100 water rights fee proposal Proposal to require water measurement devices also draws objections By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press SALEM — A proposed $100 annual fee on all Oregon water rights has met with crit- icism from irrigators who say it would contribute to already mounting financial burdens. Farmers overwhelmingly testified against House Bill 2706, which aims to raise money for water management, during a March 22 hearing be- fore the House Committee on Energy and Environment. Members of the Klamath Water Users Association, for example, are already paying steep costs to comply with the Endangered Species Act and engage in water rights adjudi- cation in the region, said Dave Jensen, a farmer and represen- tative of the group. “Would $100 break a bunch of farmers out there? Probably not, but there is always the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Jensen said. For irrigators with multi- ple water rights, the bill would cap total fees at $1,000 a year, while municipalities could pay up to $2,500 a year. The money raised would pay for the administrative, tech- nical and field duties performed by the Oregon Water Resources Department, which oversees 89,000 water rights in the state. The bill would effectively impose a discriminatory tax on irrigators and other water users, said Curtis Martin, a rancher and chairman of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association’s wa- ter resources committee. “There is no additional service being delivered to the users of the resource,” Martin said. Opponents also argue that electricity costs have contin- ued rising, adding to the cost of pumping water, and irri- gators would have to pay the management fee even if they didn’t fully use their water rights. “When they shut you off, you still have to pay that bill,” Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press A linear irrigation system operates in a corn field in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. A bill under consideration in the legislature would impose an annual $100 fee for each of Oregon’s nearly 89,000 water rights. said Tom Mallams, a rancher and former Klamath County commissioner. House Bill 2705, a com- panion proposal requiring the installation of water measure- ment devices at irrigation di- versions, also drew objections from irrigators at the hearing. Complying with the re- quirement would be expen- sive and the Oregon Water Resources Department doesn’t have enough staff to analyze the new information anyway, said John O’Keeffe, president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s As- sociation. “Additional data for the sake of data does not solve any problem,” O’Keeffe said. It would be more realistic to ensure that watermasters — who can already order water measurements when necessary — are properly equipped to do their jobs, he said. Installing water measure- ment devices also isn’t prac- tical for farmers who rely on flood irrigation and divert wa- ter directly from streams onto fields, according to opponents. Some opponents also ques- tioned the fairness and wisdom of exempting domestic well users from the bill. “If you’re going to man- age water, I don’t know how you’re going to do that without looking at private wells,” said Irene Gilbert of La Grande, Ore. Water conservation groups argued that a new funding source is needed because OWRD’s cost of administering water rights is largely borne by state taxpayers. The private interests who primarily benefit from the sys- tem, meanwhile, only pay a one-time application fee to es- tablish water rights, said Kim- berley Priestley, senior policy analyst with WaterWatch of Oregon. “This is the public’s water. The public is currently paying through the general fund for the management of its water,” said Priestley. An annual management fee has already been identified as a stable source of funding by the Oregon Water Resources Commission, which oversees OWRD, she said. As for measurement devic- es, the requirement is needed because “what gets measured gets managed,” Priestley said. Proponents claim that only 20 percent of Oregon’s water rights holders currently mea- sure and report their usage, since this is a requirement for irrigation districts, govern- ments and those with rights issued since 1993. Despite recognition by the Oregon Water Resources Commission as a key man- agement tool, there has been limited progress in expanding water measurement, according to bill supporters. “We can no longer afford to put our heads in the sand and pretend water management issues will just go away,” said Joe Furia, general counsel for the Freshwater Trust nonprofit. The committee’s chairman, Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, said the bills were “conversation starters” and would likely change in response to input from a “broad stakeholder group” he’s convened, which includes agriculture and envi- ronmental groups. Being tapped state president a dream come true for Baker City FFA member By MARINA RIKER For the Capital Press REDMOND, Ore. — When 18-year-old Kourtney Lehman made the nearly five- hour trek from Baker City to Redmond for the 89th Oregon State FFA convention last week, she never imagined she would return as the organiza- tion’s state president. “You always dream to get to this point, but it’s hard,” said Lehman. “It definitely feels like I’m in a different world right now.” Lehman, a senior at Bak- er High School, was named president of the 2017-18 Or- egon State FFA officer team on Monday, the final day of the convention held at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center over the week- end of March 24-27. More than 2,000 FFA members and hundreds of other attendees, judges and sponsors flocked to the event — along with a few horses, ducks and sheep. During the weekend, thou- sands of students decked out in blue-and-gold corduroy participated in events ranging from debates on hot-button agricultural topics to market- ing contests. Depending on how they fared, they were hand-picked by judges to lead the organization for the next year. “My biggest goal is just serving the members,” said Lehman. “They’re all so pas- sionate about making a differ- ence in their communities.” Just minutes after Lehman was named president, her so- Courtesy of Kourtney Lehman Kourtney Lehman, the new Oregon FFA president. Courtesy of Lee Letsch, Oregon FFA Oregon FFA’s new state officers take the gavel Monday at the organization’s state convention in Redmond. From left are President Kourtney Lehman, Vice President Emma Rooker, Secretary Jensen Kemble, Treasurer Wade Rynearson, Reporter Lee Wesenberg and Sentinel Gaby Santa Cruz. Marina Riker/For the Capital Press A sea of blue-and-gold corduroy jackets flocked to the Deschutes County Fair and Expo for the 89th Oregon State FFA Convention over the weekend of March 24-27. More than 2,000 FFA members attended the event, along with hundreds of judges, sponsors and other attendees. cial media accounts exploded with congratulatory messages and blue-and-gold heart sym- bols. Even though she won the state job interview contest and Get Your Tickets Now! placed third place in a public speaking competition earli- er in the weekend, she was shocked to learn she’d been named the state’s FFA leader. “It’s been an amazing experience,” said Lehman, whose father, brother and sister were also FFA mem- bers. Over the next year, of- ficers such as Lehman will be responsible for holding events including education- al workshops and leadership camps, as well as governing thousands of members state- wide. Emma Rooker of the Bend FFA Chapter was selected as state vice president, while Wade Rynearson of the Union FFA Chapter was named trea- surer. Lee Wesenberg of the Sutherlin FFA Chapter was cho- sen as state reporter and Gaby Santa Cruz of Hood River Val- ley High School is sentinel. After three long days of interviews with judges, Jen- sen Kemble of Ontario High School was picked for state secretary. Kemble, 17, said he was overwhelmed by the “whirlwind” that came be- fore the announcement of the new officers — espe- cially on Monday morning, when the judges’ votes were tallied. “The process leading up to the announcement is very in- tense,” said Kemble. “It takes several minutes to calculate the votes and the entire time you just grab onto the other candidates for support and hope for the best.” The convention’s theme was “Don’t Back Down,” a concept that was weaved into many of the weekend’s events ranging from debate challeng- es to marketing competitions. On Sunday, Sevana Pat- rick, a senior from the Herm- iston FFA Chapter, spent the entire morning preparing ma- terials for the convention’s marketing competition finals. The 18-year-old said her favorite part of participating in the organization is learn- ing leadership skills and be- ing supported by peers. After high school, she plans to en- list in the U.S. Navy, where she wants to further hone her skills as a leader and team member. “It’s about being accepted and having that family, and having something that’s great- er than yourself,” said Patrick, whose team placed third in the marketing competition. The weekend was 18-year-old Sebastian Pow- ers-Leach’s second time at- tending the FFA convention. The North Marion High School senior raises market sheep and wants to work in agriculture, but his favorite part of the FFA is competing in debate contests. Powers-Leach and his peers were tasked with re- searching and debating ag- ricultural issues that ranged from whether to label genet- ically modified foods to the perks of state farm-to-school food programs. Last year, the students debated immigration issues — a heated topic — in addition to less controver- sial ones such as whether to hold the convention at a sin- gle location each year, Pow- ers-Leach said. “A lot of it is opin- ion-based to an extent,” said Powers-Leach. “But there are others where you really need the facts to back it up with re- search.” owaonline.org 13-1/#13