January 26, 2018 CapitalPress.com Above average reservoir levels offset below normal Idaho snowpack By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press BOISE — Snowpack levels in many basins in Ida- ho and Eastern Oregon are well below normal but res- ervoir levels are significantly above average. That means irrigators have a significant amount of water in the “bank” — reser- voirs — to fall back on this year in case snowpack levels continue to remain below normal. “The snowpack is lagging behind but the good thing is that ... we still have some pretty good reservoir levels,” said Tim Page, who manages the Boise Project Board of Control, which provides wa- ter to 167,000 acres of farms and five irrigation districts in southwestern Idaho. As of Jan. 22, total snow- pack in the Boise River basin was 65 percent of normal, according to the Natural Re- sources Conservation Ser- vice. But the amount of water stored in the Boise River system’s reservoirs is above average. “It looks like we’re in pretty good shape as of right now,” Page said. The same scenario is repeated in many basins throughout Idaho, according to the NRCS January water supply outlook report for the state. “Reservoir storage is in good shape across the state with nearly all reporting nor- mal to well above normal storage for this time of the year,” the report states. “Ida- ho’s reservoirs are the bright spot now for next year’s wa- ter supply outlook.” Only a few basins have near or above normal snow- pack levels right now. “If snowpacks and pro- jected stream flow volumes remain below normal, above normal reservoir storage will be critical to make up the difference and should help to provide adequate irrigation supplies in most areas,” the NRCS report states. Snowpack is well below normal in southwestern Ida- ho basins. For example, it’s 55 percent of normal in the Weiser River basin, 76 per- cent of normal in the Payette River basin and 65 percent in the Boise River basin. In the Owyhee River ba- sin in Eastern Oregon, snow- pack is 39 percent of normal. The Owyhee Basin feeds water into the Owyhee Res- ervoir, which provides water to 118,000 acres of irrigated farmland in Eastern Oregon and part of Idaho. But the reservoir is 67 percent full with 482,000 acre-feet of water. That’s about 150 percent of normal for this time of year. The reservoir is already close to having enough wa- ter to provide growers with a normal irrigation supply this year, said OID board mem- ber and farmer Bruce Corn. “Certainly, it looks good for this year,” he said. 5 New California Farm Bureau leader to battle regs, promote ag By TIM HEARDEN For the Capital Press RED BLUFF, Calif. — Easing the regulatory burden on farmers and reminding consumers and lawmakers of the economic importance of agriculture are high on Jamie Johansson’s “to do” list. Johansson, 49, was chosen by members to be the Califor- nia Farm Bureau Federation’s 16th president in December. The Oroville olive grower succeeds Modesto tree nut farmer Paul Wenger, who served the maximum eight years in office. Johansson told a gathering Jan. 18 that it’s important for farmers to make the public aware of the difficulties they face because of regulations. He noted that it takes 19 dif- ferent fees and permits from the county to the national level to make a bottle of olive oil, and as many as 28 differ- ent fees and permits to pro- duce a bottle of wine. “People get that,” Johans- son said during the Tehama County Farm Bureau’s 100th annual meeting. “Nowadays it takes more training to be a barber than to be a paramed- ic in California. One in every three workers are required to pay a fee or get a permit to do their jobs in the U.S.” The regulations are a key reason only 1 in 10 jobs are in rural America, down from 1 in 3 a couple of decades ago, Johansson told the gath- ering. Some relief is occurring Tim Hearden/For the Capital Press Tim Hearden/For the Capital Press Shannon Douglass, right, the California Farm Bureau Federation’s new first vice president, talks with Shasta College agriculture instructor and program coordinator Trena Kimler-Richards at the Tehama County Farm Bureau’s 100th annual meeting Jan. 18. at the federal level, he said, noting that President Donald Trump’s administration has delayed implementing on- farm inspections while it re- views the Food Safety Mod- ernization Act and moved to rescind the controversial Waters of the U.S. regulation. A first-generation grower, Johansson cultivated a dream of farming while growing up in Humboldt County and working on his friends’ cattle ranches and dairy operations, he said. He bought 20 acres of olive trees in 1993 and now has 80 acres of olives for oil, specialty citrus fruit and an egg operation, mostly sold directly to consumers. He also co-founded the Sierra Oro Farm Trail Association and is a former Oroville city councilman. Johansson steps into the president’s role after serving as a statewide CFBF offi- cer for eight years, becom- ing second vice president in 2009 and first vice president in 2015. He will serve along- side new first vice president Shannon Douglass of neigh- boring Glenn County. The 34-year-old Doug- lass is an owner of Douglass Ranch, which raises beef cat- tle, sunflowers, corn and for- age crops. She also founded CalAgJobs, which matches job seekers with agricultural employers. Johansson expressed some surprise that the two mid-Sac- ramento Valley representa- tives won the top spots since the Farm Bureau often picks officers from different re- Newly elected California Farm Bureau Federation presi- dent Jamie Johansson gives remarks at the Tehama County Farm Bureau’s 100th annual meeting Jan. 18. Johansson, an Oroville olive and citrus fruit farmer, succeeds eight-year president Paul Wenger. gions. But both he and Dou- glass downplayed their prox- imity. “In Farm Bureau, whether you’re from Imperial County or Siskiyou County, we need each other,” Johansson said in an interview. “When farmers in the south aren’t getting the water they need, that’s a threat to the north as well.” Douglass, a Glenn Coun- ty Farm Bureau director and former chair of the Young Farmers and Ranchers State Committee, agreed. “We’re really excited to continue working for Farm Bureau and working for our members,” she said. “We do very important work at the state and national level. I’m very excited to be part of that and being even more involved moving forward.” Oregon irrigators aim to restore transfers among reservoirs By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Oregon water regulators have apparently stopped al- lowing the transfer of stored water among reservoirs, which irrigators hope will be rectified with upcoming legislation. The problem was re- cently encountered by the Tumalo Irrigation District, which aimed to transfer storage water rights to en- hance habitat for the threat- ened Oregon spotted frog and improve the function of its water distribution sys- tem. By piping irrigation ca- nals, the district is conserv- ing water from its Crescent Lake reservoir that could then be transferred to an in- stream use in the Deschutes River, increasing stream flows for the frog, said Ken Rieck, the district’s manag- er. Transferring stored wa- ter into the river would also generate credits al- lowing for groundwater pumping, which could be sold to raise money for ad- ditional piping projects, he said. Aside from transfers to instream uses, the district wants to move water from the Tumalo reservoir into several smaller ponds that would help regulate water pressure, Rieck said. Just as flushing a toilet can cause a home’s other water outlets to lose pres- sure, water diversion by a large irrigator can reduce pressure to lateral lines in a water system, he said. Water transferred for storage in nearby ponds, however, can be pumped into the system to off- set this loss in pressure, Rieck said. “We’re trying to bring our efficiency way up and this is the way to do that.” Historically, the Ore- gon Water Resources De- partment has permitted the transfer of stored water among reservoirs, as well as the transfer of stored water to instream uses, said Eliz- abeth Howard, an attorney representing the district. Over the past year or so, however, the agency has ceased approving such re- quests, seemingly due to a changed legal interpretation by the Oregon Department of Justice, Howard said. It’s unclear what prompt- ed the change, but the situ- ation may be resolved with the Irrigation Storage Ef- ficiency Act, which would clarify OWRD’s authority to approve such transfers. The bill is expected to be introduced during the up- coming legislative session in February by Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, who re- cently spoke in favor of the “legislative concept” during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. Capital Press was unable to reach OWRD for com- ment as of press time. Each transfer application would “stand or fail on its own merits,” as the legis- lation does not create any “shortcuts” to approval un- der the OWRD’s standard process, said Rieck. The clarification would restore water management flexibility not only in the Tumalo Irrigation District but also in other areas that have similar needs, said Howard. “The plain fact is it has a pretty significant impact on districts and irrigators who thought they had all these tools in their toolbox,” she said. 4-2/101 New legal interpretation creates problem for Tumalo Irrigation District FOR LEASE **For more information please email westfarminc@gmail.com or call Franz: 503-871-9114** 4-1/109 25 years certified organic (Stay organic or go conventional) Majority of Chehalis and Newberg soil • 420+ acres under center pivots Currently 70 acres of newly planted blueberries, raspberries and blackberries 1.8 Santiam River frontage and 0.7 miles Crabtree Creek frontage First right of refusal on a purchase option in the future Close to Albany, Oregon