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10 CapitalPress.com December 15, 2017 $6.3 million approved for Oregon water projects Money goes to three irrigation piping projects and a fish ladder By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Capital Press File Irrigation projects are among the four approved for funding by the Oregon Water Resources Commission. Members of the com- mission, which oversees the agency, debated the wisdom of allocating more money for projects than was readily available in Oregon’s water supply development fund, which lawmakers authorized in 2013. Commissioner Carol Whipple, a rancher near Elk- ton, Ore., initially said she’d feel more comfortable ap- proving the top-ranked three projects rather than all four. However, the manager of the Middle Fork Irrigation District, Craig DeHart, said he’d be willing to wait until 2019 to seek reimbursement for the district’s pipeline project, which was the low- est-ranked of the four recom- mended by OWRD officials. Fully allocating available money also sends a mes- sage to lawmakers about the strong demand for water sup- ply funding, said April Snell, executive director of the Or- egon Water Resources Con- gress. In the end, the seven com- missioners voted unanimous- ly to approve all four projects: • North Fork Sprague con- servation piping: Trout Un- limited, a conservation group, was approved to receive $2.7 million for the project, which will cost $3.9 million in full to replace an irrigation canal with a pipe. Currently, the ditch los- es 35 percent of the water it conveys to seepage. About 90 percent of the water saved by the project will be dedicated to instream flows in the North Fork Sprague River within the Klamath Basin. More than 3,000 acres will be served by the pipeline, which create enough water pressure to allow farmers to convert to sprinklers from flood irrigation. However, those changes aren’t included in the project’s cost. • Powder Valley Connec- (Photo by Abbie DeMeerleer) Washington FFA at National FFA Convention By Kelci Scharff Washington FFA State Reporter The Washington FFA contingent at the FFA National Convention and Expo in Indianapolis. From left are Matt Rounsley, state sentinel; Kelci Scharff, state reporter; Ali Hennigar, state delegate; Sydney Klaveano, state treasurer; Sadie Aronson, state delegate; Taylor Enns, state secretary; Mollee Gray, state vice president; and Seth Smith, state president. (Photo courtesy of FFA) Washington FFA officers meet with Julie Smiley-Foster, a former Washington state officer and the first female National FFA officer, at the organization’s national convention. From left are Seth Smith, state president; Sydney Klaveano, state treasurer; Mollee Gray, state vice president; Smiley-Foster; Kelci Scharff, state reporter; Taylor Enns, state secretary; and Matt Rounsley, state sentinel. Agricultural educator Gerrit VanWeerdhuizen receives the Honorary American FFA Degree from National FFA Secretary Victoria Harris for his work and service to FFA. (Photo by Dennis Wallace) Indianapolis, Ind. — October 25-28 the Washington FFA state officers, along with more than 350 other Washington FFA members, advisors and parents, traveled to Indianapolis for the 90th National FFA Convention and Expo. The primary reason the state officers attended the National FFA Convention was to conduct the official business of the organization through the national student delegate process. All six state officers as well as two selected Washington FFA members, Ali Hennigar (Colton FFA) and Sadie Aronson (White River FFA), served as official delegates for the Washington FFA Association. Each of the delegates served on a committee to help better the organization. These committees included discussion for an Agriculture Education Career Development Event, review of the student delegate process, communication between National FFA and the members, options to get the American FFA degree through an Unpaid Supervised Agricultural Experience, accommodating students with special needs, and chapter member programs. They met in their committee meetings daily and then brought the committee thoughts to the delegate body to be voted on. The Washington delegates also participated in the National FFA Day of Service and helped pack thousands of pounds of food for the Gleaners Foodbank. During National Convention Washington FFA was also well represented in Career and Leadership Development events. Cashmere FFA were the National Champions in the Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences CDE. Gerrit VanWeerdhuizen and Curt DeHaan, both agricultural educators in Washington, received the Honorary American FFA Degree for their work and service to FFA. Washington FFA also had a finalist, Goldendale FFA, in the National Chapter Model of Excellence award area which evaluates the comprehensiveness of chapters across the nation. Another highlight for Washington FFA during the National FFA Convention was the opportunity for the state officers and many of the Washington FFA members to meet Julie Smiley-Foster, a former Washington state officer and the first female National FFA officer. Julie joined in the state photo and took time to visit with members, who were thrilled to meet Washington’s iconic past National Officer. After National FFA Convention, the state officer team made their way back to Washington and jumped right back into chapter visits and shared their experiences with members as well as catch up with some members they saw in Indiana. Overall, it was a fun-filled week meeting members from across the nation and sharing about our great state of Washington. qualify the facility for certi- fication by the Low Impact Hydro Institute, allowing for the sale of renewable energy credits. • Coe Branch pipeline: The Middle Fork Irrigation District will obtain more than $900,000 to build a pipeline from a stream to a sediment settling pond, which will cost $1.7 million in total. The dis- trict, which primarily serves orchards in the Hood River Valley, draws water from the Coe Branch, a tributary of the Middle Fork Hood River that’s high in sediment. By allowing the sediment to settle in the pond, it won’t plug up highly efficient drip irrigation systems. Farm- ers who already have such systems wouldn’t have to “backflush” them out as often — saving water — and other growers would be more likely to invest in drip irrigation. At this point, six farms with 300 acres have commit- ted to making irrigation effi- ciency improvements as part of the project. The district ex- pects the project will eventu- ally spur similar investments by other growers in the full 6,300 acres served by the sys- tem. Agricultural educator Curt DeHaan receives the Honorary American FFA Degree from National FFA President David Townsend for his work and service to FFA. (Photo courtesy of FFA) Four water projects in Or- egon have won nearly $6.3 million from state regulators, though only $5.1 million is available on hand to spend. The $1.2 million shortfall is expected to be covered by the sale of $15 million in lot- tery bonds in 2019, which was approved by Oregon lawmakers earlier this year. Three of the projects ap- proved by the Oregon Water Resources Commission on Dec. 7 involve irrigation pip- ing, while one aims to build a fish ladder to allow stream access past a hydroelectric dam. Because the projects will take time to plan and build — and developers have access to matching funds from oth- er sources — officials with the Oregon Water Resources Department felt confident in approving all four. tor: The Powder Valley Water Control District was approved to receive about $1 million of the total $1.4 million needed to replace an irrigation ditch with a pipe, conserving about 1,350 acre-feet of water that will instead remain in the Wolf Creek Reservoir. The system serves 17 farms that cultivate roughly 6,800 acres in Northeast Oregon. While the project is ex- pected to reap ecological ben- efits by storing more water in the reservoir, it was opposed by the WaterWatch of Oregon environmental group because the district isn’t formally al- locating the water to instream flows. However, the Oregon Water Resources Department said this factor was taken into account in the review process and doesn’t disqualify the project from funding. • Opal Springs fish pas- sage: The Deschutes Valley Water District was awarded $1.5 million toward the $10.7 million cost of building a fish ladder to open up 100 miles of habitat for salmon and steel- head upstream of the Opal Springs hydroelectric facility in Central Oregon. The environmental ben- efits of the fish ladder would 50-1/HOU