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Friday, February 1, 2019 9 CapitalPress.com WATER Institute researches, resolves water confl icts By ALIYA HALL For the Capital Press CORVALLIS, Ore. — Todd Jarvis, director of Oregon State Universi- ty’s Institute for Water and Watersheds, got his fi rst introduction to water issues at 8 years old when he vis- ited a hot springs. He said that experience instilled in him the mystery of how water got hot and its source. Water is connected to everything. From health to science to agriculture, water makes people wealthy in terms beyond mone- tary, he said, and the insti- tute was designed to support water resource research and technology. Estab- lished 56 years ago by the 1964 Fed- eral Water Resources Todd Research Jarvis Act, the institute has had many mis- sions over the years — from researching water quality to outreach. Now, its focus is on nitrates in ground water, using water for environmen- tal fl ows and projects dedi- cated to agricultural water. One of the biggest proj- ects that Jarvis said the insti- tute is focusing on is aquifer storage and recovery, which studies storing water below ground in aquifers. While most regions are using it for drinking water, Jarvis said in Eastern Oregon farms want to expand aquifer recharge to agricultural uses. One group is even try- ing to repurpose an old dam that never held water into an aquifer storage and recovery facility. “A challenge in Oregon is we’ve built dams every- where we could, but we need more storage,” Jarvis said. The institute also has an interest in water when it comes to growing food and working with energy sources, such as growing high-nutrition crops in the same place as solar panels. “Many in the agricul- tural industry feel that when solar panels are placed it condemns the area to (only) solar panel use, and we’re trying to show that’s not the case; there’s multiple uses,” Jarvis said. There are multiple chal- lenges associated with the research, but Jarvis said groups are working toward innovative solutions. At the 2018 Deschutes Basin Water Summit, he said, one of the board members from the northern basin, which is dealing with habitat conser- vation, said that if a solution can be found in the north end, then the south end won’t have any issues. “Instead of a fi ght over water that’s dedicated to endangered species, it’s ‘let’s work with that so we can make our water situa- tion and water environment better,’” Jarvis said. Another future challenge is regional governance over water sources and fund- ing for experiments. Jarvis said that unlike other West- ern states, Oregon is a new- comer to investing in water development. He said Ore- gon relies heavily on federal funding, and it needs to be “more aggressive to invest in water development with our own funds.” One solution, he said, is having a fee associated with using water, and selling water to others. Jarvis fi rst heard the idea in Pendleton 10 years ago, but he said it should be “dusted off and looked at again.” Despite the challenges in water research, Jarvis said that there is still an element of exploration. “Most of my life was focusing on fi nding water for people to drink, and it was always rewarding to see a water district manager come up to a brand new well I drilled, take a glass of water, drink it and smile,” he said. “Everyone loves water and it’s fun to talk about. Oregon is known for being the knowledge cen- ter of water globally — the world looks to us in many fronts.” Irrigation district launches $900,000 head gate modernization By DIANNA TROYER For the Capital Press Dianna Troyer/For the Capital Press Kail Sheppard, manager of the New Sweden Irrigation District, says members wanted to keep historic 127-year-old head gates. Mortar is beginning to deteriorate at one head gate, which prompted a modernization project and the erection of new gates 70 feet upstream. “Our members defi nitely want to keep it because it’s such a big part of our history,” said Sheppard. “We’re Idaho’s fi rst irrigation dis- trict. 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Though it withstood a disas- ter, age has recently caused it to decline. “Last spring, we noticed mor- tar was beginning to deteriorate where a gate hinges into a pier,” Sheppard said. “It couldn’t be patched. High water would put too much pressure on that gate.” The new gate will have three 15-foot-square partially auto- mated panels that will be lifted with electric motors. “Right now ... two guys use hand cranks to raise it,” Sheppard said. When engineers advised dis- trict members west and south of Idaho Falls to tear down the 127-year-old Great Western Canal head gate, they refused. original gate and should be com- pleted by March 1, 2019. The main canal is 35 miles long, and the entire system has about 125 miles of waterways. “Our system provides irriga- tion for about 39,000 acres, with 28,000 acres within the district,” Sheppard said. “We carry water for small canal companies, too.” Members are fi nancing the $900,000 project with a loan. “We were able to get a good interest rate at a bank and plan to pay it off in fi ve years,” he said. The project made Sheppard, 56, refl ect on the district’s history and his family’s heritage. In the offi ce, he can point to a map showing where his great grandfather from Sweden, Albert Hjelm, arrived in 1903 and eventually farmed west of Firth. Land in the district was devel- oped when Chicago investors formed a private company, the Great Western Canal Company, and built the main head gate in 1891. They recruited Swedish farmers in the Midwest after a drought devas- tated their livelihoods. The company eventually defaulted on the loan that fi nanced the project. In 1900, local farmers bought the system for $65,000 and established the district. “At the time, they began mak- ing improvements to it,” Sheppard said. “We hope the new head gates last more than a century like the original ones have done.”
