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.”
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