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SPOKANE AG EXPO & PACIFIC NORTHWEST FARM FORUM TAB INSIDE
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AE18
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JANU
VOLUME 91, NUMBER 4
WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM
$2.00
THE BIG
DRAWDOWN
Detroit Dam project could have severe impact on downstream farmers
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
By GEORGE PLAVEN
T
George Plaven/Capital Press
Gary Butler, co-owner of Butler Farms, stands along the North
Santiam River, the source of irrigation water for his vegetables,
peppermint, grass seed and hazelnuts. A project proposed by
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that could drain Detroit Lake,
the source of the river’s water, for up to two years could devas-
tate local farmers, Butler said.
Silverton
Keizer
213
Area in detail
214
Salem
22
Sublimity
r
5
N
he North Santiam River flows past fields of
green grass at Butler Farms west of Stayton,
Ore., where Gary Butler and his two brothers
grow more than 2,000 acres of irrigated crops.
In addition to grass seed, the family farm
raises green beans and sweet corn for NORPAC Foods,
along with hazelnuts and peppermint. Irrigation is es-
sential to the operation, Butler said. That is why a major
proposal 30 miles upstream at Detroit Dam has him so
concerned.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which maintains
13 multipurpose dams in the Willamette River Basin,
wants to build a 300-foot-tall water temperature control
tower and floating screen at Detroit Dam to benefit native
fish, including endangered chinook salmon and steelhead.
However, construction of the project may require
draining Detroit Lake — the reservoir that feeds into the
North Santiam — for up to two full years, leaving farms
parched during the dry summer months and vulnerable
ABOVE: Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River near Detroit,
Ore. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to build a water
temperature control tower at the dam and drain the reservoir for
as long as two years, impacting downstream farms.
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Capital Press
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Stayton
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Big Cliff Dam
22
Detroit
226
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226
WILLAMETTE
NATIONAL
FOREST
SILVER FALLS
STATE PARK
N
SANTIAM
STATE
FOREST
Detroit
Reservoir
Detroit Dam
20
5 miles
Alan Kenaga/Capital Press
Turn to PROJECT, Page 12
Deadline approaching for
EPA asks for time to tell
Census of Agriculture surveys farmers about manure air rule
2017 Census will be released in February 2019
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
The deadline is fast ap-
proaching for farmers and
ranchers to complete their
surveys for the 2017 Census
of Agriculture.
Chris Mertz, Northwest
region director for the USDA
National Agricultural Sta-
tistics Service in Olympia,
Wash., said surveys were
mailed out in December to
107,253 producers in Oregon,
Washington and Idaho.
Responses are due back to
the agency by Monday, Feb.
5. The final 2017 census will
be released in February 2019.
Every five years, the Census
of Agriculture provides a state-
by-state,
county-by-county
look at farm size, production
and demographics across the
U.S. Survey questions include
things like land use, acreage,
cropping practices and infra-
structure.
“It’s not just government
using this data,” Mertz said.
“A lot of people are using
the information on behalf of
farmers to make sure they are
being successful.”
For example, farm groups
and lobbyists may use the
census to advocate for pol-
icies or push for economic
Agency: Producers
vulnerable to suits
By DON JENKINS
Capital Press
development in rural Ameri-
ca, Mertz said. He pointed to
the last census in 2012 which
included questions about
on-farm computer and inter-
net usage. Five years later,
President Donald Trump has
signed two executive orders
aimed at boosting rural broad-
band access.
“If you think about it,
there’s a lot of infrastructure
investment there,” Mertz said.
The census is also benefi-
cial for small farmers, Mertz
said, especially at the county
level.
Turn to CENSUS, Page 12
The Environmental Pro-
tection Agency was waiting
this week to see whether
a federal court will give it
three more months to prep
farmers to report that their
animals are releasing gas.
The EPA told the D.C.
Circuit Court of Appeals
that farmers are confused by
the mandate. Without more
help, farmers puzzled about
how to report would be vul-
nerable to citizen lawsuits,
according to the EPA.
A delay until at least
April 23 would “provide
farms temporary relief from
potential legal action while
coming into compliance
with the reporting require-
ments,” an EPA motion filed
Jan. 19 states.
The D.C. court last year
Don Jenkins/Capital Press
Cows graze in a field in Washington. The Environmental Protec-
tion Agency has asked a court to delay for three months a ma-
nure reporting rule. The mandate, won by environmental groups,
could affect even small confined animal feeding operations.
ordered farmers whose ani-
mals emit at least 100 pounds
of ammonia or hydrogen sul-
fide per day to report under
the Comprehensive Envi-
ronmental Response, Com-
pensation and Liability Act,
commonly known as Super-
fund.
Producers will have to
register with the EPA and the
Coast Guard’s National Re-
sponse Center, which coor-
dinates emergency responses
to chemical leaks and spills.
The EPA, under the
Obama and Trump adminis-
trations, argued decompos-
ing manure does not need
an emergency response. But
the court sided with environ-
mental groups that argued
Turn to EPA, Page 12