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CapitalPress.com
Friday, March 19, 2021
Nimbler approach considered for Oregon groundwater
an under-funded staff at the
Oregon Water Resources
Department, it would take
at least 30 years to complete
groundwater studies for all
the state’s major hydrolog-
ical basins, said Rep. Mark
Owens, R-Crane, the bill’s
chief sponsor.
“If we’re still having this
conversation in 10 years, lit-
igation is going to be mul-
tiple times higher than it is
now,” Owens said.
The absence of water
budgets can cause the “hid-
den resource” of ground-
water to get over-allocated,
prompting eventual reg-
ulatory curtailments that
spur legal actions, he said.
Meanwhile, rural commu-
nities that are economically
dependent on irrigated agri-
culture “start to wither.”
“It’s not good for the
environment, it’s not good
for the social structure, it’s
not good for the agricultural
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
Oregon water regulators
would adopt a nimbler and
cheaper strategy for measur-
ing groundwater resources
under a bill aimed at prevent-
ing aquifer over-pumping.
The method proposed
under House Bill 2018
would combine new satellite
technology with expanded
well monitoring and help
from federal geologists to
develop “water budgets”
for major basins across the
state.
Though less compre-
hensive than groundwa-
ter basin studies, which
measure the direction and
speed of water movement,
such water budgets are less
time-consuming and can
help forestall over-appropri-
ation problems, according to
proponents.
At the current rate, with
EO Media Group
An irrigation pivot in Eastern Oregon. Lawmakers
are considering a more nimble approach to studying
groundwater levels.
community,” Owens said.
“We start pitting farmers
against community, farmers
against farmers, and farmers
against the state.”
Water budget informa-
tion could have forestalled
groundwater over-appropri-
ation in Oregon’s Harney
Basin and it can still help
regulators and communi-
ties better plan for looming
problems elsewhere in the
state, he said.
“Where can we look at
more development? Where
should we slow down devel-
opment?” Owens said.
“Where do you really need
to sit down with communi-
ties and fi gure out the cause
and eff ect of what we’ve
done?”
The problem of unknown
groundwater resources has
persisted despite the prob-
lems in the Harney Basin: Of
the 153 groundwater pump-
ing permits issued in 2017,
for example, nearly 80%
didn’t determine if drilling
would occur in an over-ap-
propriated area, he said.
One component of HB
2018’s strategy would rely
on the Open ET technol-
ogy platform developed by
NASA, Google and non-
profi t groups, which uses
satellite imagery to estimate
evapotranspiration and thus
water usage across wide
swaths of landscape.
Acquiring the necessary
data, including historical
imagery going back decades,
would cost about $500,000,
according to OWRD.
The bill’s second compo-
nent, a cost-matching agree-
ment with the U.S. Geologi-
cal Survey to develop water
budgets, would cost the state
roughly $1 million over 6
years.
Expanding the state’s net-
work of monitoring wells,
potentially by drilling ded-
icated wells or retrofi tting
abandoned ones, would
require additional staff at
OWRD but the agency
didn’t specify a funding
amount.
In the past, bills aimed
at improving studies of
the state’s groundwater
resources were estimated to
cost roughly $9 million, said
Rep. Ken Helm, D-Bea-
verton, chair of the House
Water Committee.
Oregon Court of Appeals weighs in on barn renovations
preparation area, replac-
ing a dirt fl oor with concrete
for dancing and installing
sound-proofi ng, new siding
and additional doors doesn’t
mean “the building would no
longer be usable as a barn,”
the ruling said.
Landowner Mark Her-
kamp obtained permission
for the project from a county
hearings offi cer but LUBA
overturned that approval last
year, ordering the local gov-
ernment to consider whether
the proposal can move for-
ward “without the extensive
renovations and construc-
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
Renovating a barn to host
weddings doesn’t necessarily
transform it into a structure
that’s prohibited in an exclu-
sive farm zone, according to
Oregon’s Court of Appeals.
The appellate court has
determined that Clacka-
mas County’s approval of a
barn remodeling project for
a “home occupation” events
venue shouldn’t have been
blocked by the state’s Land
Use Board of Appeals.
Constructing a small food
tion elements.”
Instead of examining
whether the evidence sup-
ported the hearings offi cer’s
decision, LUBA wrongly
acted as the “factfi nder” and
“appears to have substituted
its own judgment about the
character of that barn,” the
appellate court said.
Nothing in the record indi-
cates the food preparation
area — which would only
take up 7% of the structure —
and other changes can’t exist
in an EFU zone as long as “all
of its other features are those
of a barn,” the ruling said.
However, the Court of
Appeals has also ruled that it’s
possible for a barn overhaul in
an EFU zone to go too far.
The appellate court upheld
LUBA’s ruling that remov-
ing livestock stalls to divide
another barn into “brides and
grooms” rooms would change
that second structure’s charac-
ter enough to violate land use
law.
The ruling also upheld
LUBA’s decision that con-
structing a new restroom
building and septic fi eld
to accommodate up to 300
people wasn’t allowed in
the EFU zone.
Opponents of the barn ren-
ovation project fear that turn-
ing farm structures into dance
or banquet halls will attract
visitors and traffi c who will
disrupt farm machinery and
other agricultural practices.
Such venues also drive up
land values until agriculture
becomes economically unvi-
able, critics say.
Apart from the question of
barn renovations, the Court
of Appeals weighed in on
the number of workers who
can be employed at one time
in an EFU home occupation,
such as the proposed wedding
venue.
The farmland preservation
group 1,000 Friends of Ore-
gon argued such home occu-
pations are prohibited from
employing more than fi ve
people — such as caterers and
photographers — even if they
weren’t all on-site at once.
LUBA disagreed with that
interpretation and the appel-
late court has now upheld
its interpretation of land use
law, ruling that the fi ve-per-
son limit only applies to peo-
ple working simultaneously at
the site.
S224780-1
Proud Supporter
of FFA
P.O. Box 307 • Canby, OR 97013
888-877-7665
S225293-1
www.stutzman-environmental.com
Proud Supporter
of FFA
P.O. Box 307 • Canby, OR 97013
888-877-7665
S225293-1
www.stutzman-environmental.com
In 2014 Doug Hoffman, past CEO of Wilco, learned there was a need to support local FFA chapter
projects that were not receiving funding from other sources. He decided to try something new to
help those who needed a vote of confidence and an investment to bring their idea to life. Doug and
his team developed the chapter grant program and started the program off with a generous $25,000
gift to Oregon FFA. Over the past seven years, Wilco has donated over $1 million to the Oregon FFA
Foundation, including their $25,000 annual contribution to support the growing and competitive
chapter grant projects. Close to 25 grants have been funded each school year, with more than 130
projects funded since the start.
Proud Supporter of
A Wilco chapter grant helped fund Harrisburg FFA’s Agriculture Education Greenhouse remodel. With
grant funding, the chapter purchased tools students used to build tables and carts that were used
to grow plants and display products for their plant sale. More than 30 students were involved in the
remodel, which boosted annual plant sales from $300 to more than $2,000! The tools and equipment
were also used by the Harrisburg Manufacturing Department and High School in several service
projects in the local community. Teague Teece, Harrisburg FFA advisor said, “We are thrilled with the
impact the Wilco Chapter grant funding has provided for Harrisburg FFA and our community.”
12333 Silver Falls Hwy SE
Aumsville, OR 97325
Phone: (503) 769-2205
Tillamook FFA was awarded a Wilco chapter grant to support their school-based dog-grooming
Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) enterprise. Through this enterprise, students gain hands-on
experience and technical skills they can apply to a career in the veterinary science field. Students run
the enterprise like a business, scheduling appointments, filing paperwork, performing services, and
charging minimal fees. The Wilco Chapter Grant purchased a professional grade dog nail trimmer,
clippers, and blades. Brooklyn Bush, Tillamook FFA advisor said, “The Tillamook FFA Chapter can
continue teaching students and serving the community in a new and different way. We are deeply
grateful to Wilco for their support in helping make this project happen.”
Proud Sponsor of FFA
THE TRACTOR STORE
(541) 342-5464
5450 W. 11 th , Eugene, OR
S203345-1
Oregon FFA Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The mission of the Foundation is to
coordinate sustainable, long-term funding for agriculture education and Oregon FFA.
Auto • Home • Farm
Commercial • Health
503-873-6498
877-FOR-IOKA
541-998-2383
www.iokamarketing.com
155 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
Silverton, Oregon
24957 Hwy. 126, Veneta
541-606-4616
S231060-1
615 Holly St., Junction City
541-995-6397
S223433-
1
Wilco funds Oregon FFA chapter grants that fuel local success
Proud
Supporter
of FFA
Proud Supporter of FFA
S220330-1
The Wilco chapter grant purchased a professional grade dog nail trimmer, clippers, and blades for
the Tillamook FFA.
A Wilco chapter grant helped fund
Harrisburg FFA’s Agriculture Education
Greenhouse remodel.
S203318-1
503-932-0766
klopfensteinag.com | Silverton, OR
TREE PLANTING
DRIP LINE INSTALLATION
S223765-1
TREE & BRUSH REMOVAL