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T H E N O R T H C O A S T T IM E S E A G L E , F R ID A Y , 19 M A R C H 1982
W a te rs o n g
q u i r e d to h a n d l e th e i r r i g a t i o n n e e d s o f th e
c r o p s w ith in th e a r e a . A s s u m in g a c o n s ta n t
r u n o f f o f tw o h u n d r e d a n d s e v e n t y - e i g h t m i l l i o n
a c r e - f e e t , th e p r o j e c t e d a n a l y s i s i n d i c a t e s t h a t
a p p r o x i m a t e l y o n e p a r t in e i g h t w i l l b e c y c l e d
t h r o u g h th e i r r i g a t i o n p r o c e s s . A y e a r in w h ic h
o n ly t w o - t h i r d s o f t h e a v a i l a b l e s u p p ly i s p r e s
e n t w i l l a m p l i f y th e p e r c e n t a g e u s e d f o r i r r i
g a tio n .
W a t e r r e t u r n e d to t h e r i v e r s y s t e m a s a r e
s u l t o f i r r i g a t i o n is d i r e c t l y a f f e c t e d b y th e i n
tr o d u c tio n o f to x ic s u b s ta n c e s , v a r io u s s a l t s ,
n u trie n ts , s e d im e n ts , an d in c r e a s e d te m p e r a
t u r e s . S u c h p o l l u t a n t s a r e c a l l e d " n o n p o in t
s o u r c e " p o llu ta n ts b e c a u s e of th e ir a m o rp h o u s
o r i g i n a n d , a s s u c h , a r e e x t r e m e l y d i f f i c u l t to
a n a ly z e . H o w e v e r, r e c e n t s tu d ie s h a v e in d ic a te d
t h a t a t l e a s t s e v e n t y p e r c e n t o f s t r e a m s in O r e
g o n , W a s h in g to n , a n d Id a h o a r e w a te r q u a lity
lim ite d b e c a u s e o f n o n p o in t s o u r c e p o llu ta n ts .
I r r ig a t io n p r a c t i c e s a ls o p e r p e tu a te th e f o l
lo w in g p r o b l e m s : s t r e a m f lo w s r e d u c e d b y
w i t h d r a w a l s f o r i r r i g a t i o n ; b a c t e r i a in th e f o r m
o f f e c a l c o l i f o r m s a r e h ig h in r u n o f f ; s t r e a m
t e m p e r a t u r e s a r e h ig h in l a t e s u m m e r b e c a u s e
o f d e p l e t e d f l o w s , a n d ; h ig h n u t r i e n t l e v e l s c o n
t r i b u t e to c h o k in g a l g a e b l o o m s a n d p o o r w a t e r
q u a l i t y in r e s e r v o i r s .
P h o s p h o r o u s c o n t a m i n a t i o n o f s t r e a m s is
b e l i e v e d to b e m a i n l y a r e s u l t o f e r o s i o n . N i t r o
g e n f ro m a n im a l w a s te s c a n c o n ta m in a te g ro u n d
w a t e r . In t e r m s o f p o l l u t i o n c o n t r o l , th e n i t r a t e s
a r e th e m o s t s i g n i f i c a n t s i n c e t h e y a r e s o l u b l e
a n d c a n b e l e a c h e d i n t o th e g r o u n d w a t e r o r
w a s h e d to t h e s u r f a c e w a t e r s .
M o s t o f t h e a n n u a l p r e c i p i t a t i o n i n th e C o l u m
b i a R i v e r B a s i n i s c o n c e n t r a t e d in t h e w i n t e r
m o n t h s w ith t h e b u lk o f t h e p r e c i p i t a t i o n f a l l i n g
i n m o u n t a i n o u s a r e a s a s s n o w to b e s t o r e d in
d e e p s n o w p a c k s a w a i t i n g th e w a r m t h o f s p r i n g
f o r i t s r e l e a s e . A s a r e s u l t , th e w i n t e r s t r e a m -
f lo w s a r e g e n e r a l l y lo w w ith h ig h s u s t a i n e d
r u n o f f f lo w s o c c u r r i n g d u r i n g A u g u s t t h r o u g h
th e a u t u m n m o n t h s . I r r i g a t i o n p r a c t i c e s a r e
e x c e p tio n a lly h ig h d u r in g th is p e r io d .
F R O M
P A G E
O N E
a r y e f f e c t, m o r e e c o n o m ic th a n e n v ir o n m e n ta l,
i s th e f u r t h e r d e c r e a s e o f w a t e r a v a i l a b l e f o r
p o w e r g e n e r a tio n . T he n e t r e s u l t is a n i n c r e a s
ed d e m a n d fo r a lte r n a tiv e p o w e r s y s te m s su c h
a s c o a l and th e rm o n u c le a r s o u r c e s . C o al s y s
t e m s ( B o a r d m a n , O r e g o n ) a r e h i g h ly w a t e r i n
te n s iv e a n d th e r m o n u c le a r s y s te m s (R a in ie r)
u s e w a te r a s a c o o la n t.
A s e a r ly a s 1966, t h i r t y - t h r e e a n d o n e -te n th
m illio n a c r e - f e e t of s u rf a c e an d g ro u n d w a te r
w e r e d i v e r t e d to i r r i g a t e th e s e v e n a n d t h r e e -
te n th s m illio n i r r i g a t e d a c r e s in th e C o lu m b ia -
N o r t h P a c i f i c r e g i o n . R e t u r n f lo w s a m o u n t e d to
s e v e n te e n a n a s e v e n - te n th s m illio n a c r e - f e e t,
r e s u l t i n g in a n e t d e p l e t i o n o f t h e r e g i o n 's w a t e r
s u p p ly o f f i f t e e n a n d f o u r - t e n t h s m i l l i o n a c r e -
f e e t . A b o u t n i n e t y p e r c e n t o f th e d i v e r s i o n s c a m e
f r o m s u r f a c e s o u r c e s ( i n c l u d in g s t o r a g e ) a n d
w a s u s e d on e ig h ty - f iv e p e r c e n t o f th e l a n d s . T he
r e m a in in g te n p e r c e n t of w a te r s u p p ly c a m e f r o m
g ro u n d w a te r an d w a s u s e d on th e r e m a in d e r of
th e i r r i g a t e d a r e a .
a f t e r b e in g c y c l e d t h r o u g h th e i r r i g a t i o n p r o c
e s s . Of th a t w a te r lo s t a p p ro x im a te ly fo u rte e n
p e r c e n t is e s t i m a t e d l o s t t h r o u g h e v a p o r a t i o n
a n d t r a n s p i r a t i o n a lo n g w a t e r w a y s in o t h e r
s e e p e d , n o n - c r o p p e d a r e a s . T h is l o s s i s r e f e r
r e d to a s n o n - b e n e f i c i a l c o n s u m p t i v e u s e b e
c a u s e th e w a t e r d o e s n o t c o n t r i b u t e to i r r i g a
te d c r o p p ro d u c tio n . T he re m a in in g e ig h ty - s ix
p e r c e n t o f l o s s r e t u r n s to s u r f a c e a n d g r o u n d
w a te r s o u rc e s .
S u r f a c e r u n o f f of th e r e g i o n i s e s t i m a t e d to
a v e r a g e tw o h u n d r e d a n d s e v e n t y - e i g h t m i l l i o n
a c r e - f e e t a n n u a l l y , i n c l u d in g f i f t y - f o u r m i l l i o n
a c r e - fe e t e n te rin g fro m C an a d a . E s tim a te d
f i g u r e s f o r th e y e a r 2 0 2 0 i n d i c a t e t h a t a p p r o x
im a te ly f o r ty - o n e m illio n a c r e - f e e t w ill be r e -
It i s a l s o d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d t h a t th e s u m m e r
a n d f a ll s a lm o n r u n s t r a n s i t th e C o lu m b ia R iv e r.
P e r h a p s th e m o s t i m p o r ta n t a s p e c t o f C o lu m
b ia R iv e r s a lm o n r u n s is th a t a l l s p e c i e s , r e
g a r d l e s s o f w h e n t h e y e n t e r th e r i v e r , s p a w n
d u r i n g th e a u t u m n m o n t h s .
D e g r a d a t i o n i n w a t e r q u a l i t y d u r i n g th e lo w
f lo w p e r i o d s i s d u e p r i m a r i l y to a n i n c r e a s e
in w a t e r t e m p e r a t u r e a n d a d e c r e a s e in th e
d i s s o l v e d o x y g e n s a t u r a t i o n , o r th e a b i l i t y o f a
b o d y o f w a t e r to h o l d o x y g e n . T h u s , f o r a r i v e r
w ith a r e l a t i v e l y lo w b i o - c h e m i c a l o x y g e n d e
m a n d l o a d , th e d i s s o l v e d o x y g e n m a y a p p r o a c h
s a t u r a t i o n . In s u c h a c a s e , w a t e r t e m p e r a t u r e
w o u ld b e c o m e th e c r i t i c a l w a t e r q u a l i t y d e t e r
m i n a n t in t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f a n a d r o m o u s f i s h
(s a lm o n , s te e lh e a d , e tc .) . E x c e s s iv e t e m p e r a
t u r e s a llo w th e in tr o d u c tio n o f w a r m w a te r
s p e c i e s ( b a s s , c a r p , e t c . ) w h ic h f u r t h e r i n c r e a s e
c o m p e titio n f o r a v a ila b le o x y g e n an d fo o d .
U s in g C h in o o k s a l m o n a s a n i n d i c a t o r s p e c i e ,
o p tim a l te m p e r a tu r e s fo r s tr e a m s a r e a s fo l
l o w s : m i g r a t i o n r o u t e s , f o r t y to s i x t y d e g r e e s
F a r e n h e i t ; s p a w n i n g a r e a s , f o r t y - f i v e to f i f t y -
A p p r o x i m a t e l y o n e - h a l f o f th e w a t e r r e m o v e d
f r o m th e C o l u m b i a R i v e r i s l o s t to th e s y s t e m .
T h e r e m a i n i n g o n e - h a l f r e t u r n s to th e s y s t e m
Nartl} Co«*!
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