Page 8A
OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
Friday, October 6, 2017
GROUNDWATER: If aquifer goes dry, city would rely on Umatilla River
Continued from 1A
although it still draws groundwater
as a back-up for especially dry years.
Since ASR was started in 2003, the
city has left an estimated 8 billion
gallons of water in the ground.
In 2007, the city won Steward-
ship and Conservation Award from
the Water Resources Commission
for its ARS system.
But it isn’t enough to stop
groundwater declines.
When a production well in Roy
Raley Park went down in August,
part of the issue was that the pump
was having difficulty lowering
further down the 700-foot hole. If
the pump wasn’t allowed to lower
from 400 feet down to 440 feet,
it was in danger of eventually
pumping air.
There’s other data that show a
decline in groundwater in the Pend-
leton area. According to the Oregon
Water Resources Department, most
of the observation wells in the area
show a steady decline from about
900 feet average mean above sea
level in the 1950s and 1960s to 800
feet in 2015. In 2016, The Orego-
nian calculated that the Umatilla
Basin, which covers Pendleton and
most of Umatilla County, is at 148
percent capacity, meaning there was
far more usage than replenishment.
The Umatilla Basin is a part of
the larger Columbia River Basalt, a
geological formation formed from
more than 150 layers of cooled
lava flow covering Oregon and
Washington.
The water that seeped between
those layers forms the basis for the
basin’s groundwater, but because
of the region’s sparse rainfall and
the slow flow of snowmelt from
the Blue Mountains, the aquifer
recharges slowly.
With Pendleton’s ASR system
already in place, Patterson said
farmers on the west side of the
county, where irrigated agriculture
is the most prevalent, were the
cause of the cross-county decline.
Patterson said adoption of ASR or
better conservation techniques by
farmers could help stem the decline.
Different solution
Everyone who relies on ground-
water agrees that the decline needs
to be addressed. But how it’s done
is up for debate.
J.R. Cook, the director of the
Northeast Oregon Water Associa-
tion, said there’s no definitive proof
that the activities of west county
irrigators are affecting Pendleton’s
groundwater drinking water supply.
He pointed to a 2003 Oregon
Water Resources Department
study that stated limited connec-
tivity between the city’s wells
and west side irrigators, but said
explicit knowledge of the connec-
tion is still unknown.
“Bottom line: we don’t know
who’s connected to who,” he said.
As reported by The Oregonian,
many aquifers like the Umatilla
Basin suffer from a dearth of
modern information, including the
amount of water left in the aquifer
and its recharge rate.
NOWA is a nonprofit that
advocates diverting water from the
Columbia River to Eastern Oregon
farmers,
establishing
surface
water as an agricultural “checking
account” while using groundwater
as a “savings account.”
If NOWA is able to convince
the state to approve of its program,
Cook said it would take the stress
off the aquifer and allow for a more
comprehensive study of the area’s
groundwater.
“Who cares who points the
finger at whom?” he said. “We’ve
got a problem.”
Cook said it would be difficult
to make ASR a financially viable
option for westside farmers.
While cities can pass the costs
of installing an ASR system to their
ratepayers, west county farmers can’t
raise the price of the carrots, onions
or potatoes they sell and expect to
compete in a global marketplace.
Cook said these kinds of prod-
ucts and all the associated industries
they’ve benefited are the reason
places like Hermiston and the Port
of Morrow are experiencing rapid
economic growth.
With farmers already on board,
Cook said more support from cities
for NOWA’s cause would be mutu-
ally beneficial.
The future
If the trend isn’t reversed and
water levels continue to decline,
Patterson hopes a complete deple-
tion of Pendleton groundwater
wouldn’t happen for generations.
If the aquifer goes dry, Patterson
said the city would have to rely
entirely on the Umatilla River for its
drinking water. Instead of drawing
the surface water and banking it in
below-ground storage areas, it would
be transported to above ground
containers for immediate use.
Besides the tens of millions of
dollars such a system would require
in new infrastructure, Patterson said
Pendleton would lose water through
evaporation at the compound and
have to renegotiate water rights
with the Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra at
asierra@eastoregonian.com
or
541-966-0836.
DISASTER: Price tag for
hurricane season at $44B
Continued from 1A
supplemental quickly, but it
should be just the beginning
of Congress’ efforts to aid in
rebuilding.”
Congress last month
approved a $15.3 billion
aid package that combined
community
development
block grant rebuilding funds
with emergency money for
cleanup, repair and housing.
The federal flood insur-
ance program is on track
to run out of money to pay
claims during the week of
Oct. 23. Mulvaney said
more than 20,000 federal
workers have been deployed
by various agencies to help
in the hurricane recovery
effort. The “burn rate” of
almost $200 million a day is
requiring an infusion of cash
into FEMA coffers.
The request would bring
the price tag for this year’s
costly hurricane season to
about $44 billion — and that’s
before rebuilding efforts
get under way in earnest. A
final estimate is a ways away
since damage assessments of
Puerto Rico may take some
time, but Mulvaney said the
administration will submit
assessments in time for a
hoped-for budget agreement
later this year.
The year-end package
would rebuild infrastructure,
help people without insur-
ance restore their homes,
and, perhaps, help Puerto
Rico reconstitute its shat-
tered electrical grid.
“The hundreds of thou-
sands of people affected by
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and
Maria have suffered enough.
Congress must provide
whatever is necessary to
get these families back on
their feet and to rebuild their
communities,” said House
Appropriations Committee
Chairman Rodney Frelin-
ghuysen, R-N.J. “This will
be a long process, and this
next round of funds certainly
won’t be all that is needed.”
Congress is in the midst
of an effort to reauthorize
the flood insurance program,
which critics say makes
taxpayers subsidize properties
that have repeatedly flooded.
A bipartisan effort to reform
the program was enacted in
2012. It was significantly
watered down just two years
later after complaints of
huge premium increases and
resulting disruptions in coastal
real estate markets. But
there’s sure to be bipartisan
opposition to Mulvaney’s
extensive roster of changes to
the program, which has strong
backing from Republicans in
coastal states.
Trump raised eyebrows in
a Tuesday interview with Fox
News when he said the Puerto
Rican government’s debt
would have to be “wiped out.”
“They owe a lot of money
to your friends on Wall Street
and we’re going to have to
wipe that out,” Trump said.
But
on Wednesday,
Mulvaney told reporters
that “we are not going to be
offering a bailout for Puerto
Rico or for its current bond-
holders.”
Rep. Luis Gutierrez,
D-Ill., said the situation there
presents more difficult chal-
lenges than disasters in the
continental U.S. For instance,
without power or internet
service, victims of Maria can’t
go online to register for aid.
Housing vouchers are largely
useless since the entire Island
is devastated. He said many
thousands of Puerto Ricans
will need to be evacuated to
the U.S. mainland.
Say “yes!” to iPhone 8 for $0.
Say “no!” to hidden fees.
Switch to U.S. Cellular ® and get iPhone 8 for net
$0 when you turn in your old phone. Plus, get a
stronger signal in the Middle of Anywhere.
REDISTRICT: Independent
commission would draw lines
Continued from 1A
maps are created as bills
that need to be signed by the
governor to take effect. That
last happened in 2011. The
legislation was approved
with broad support from both
Democrats and Republicans
in the Legislature, and was
signed into law by Gov. John
Kitzhaber.
But that’s not always
been the case in Oregon.
Between 1961 and 2011,
every redistricting attempt
by the Legislature ended
in failure. In some cases,
lawmakers simply couldn’t
agree, meaning it fell to the
secretary of state to draw
the maps. In other cases,
lawmakers agreed, but the
plan was vetoed by the
governor. Other times, legal
challenges meant the final
decision came at the Oregon
Supreme Court.
Richardson’s task force
recommends that instead of
leaving the job to lawmakers,
an 11-member independent
commission draw up the
maps. The commission
would include three Demo-
crats, three Republicans, and
five people who are either
members of other political
parties or are unaffiliated.
Any plan would have to
receive support from at least
seven members of the panel,
including at least one person
from each of the state’s two
largest political parties.
A spokesperson for Rich-
ardson said the Republican is
talking with GOP lawmakers
to try to get the concept intro-
duced as a bill in the 2018
legislative session.
Since the commission
is
recommending
the
changes take the form of a
constitutional amendment,
lawmakers would have to
refer the proposal to voters,
presumably on the November
2018 ballot.
Democrats, who currently
control both the Oregon
House and Senate, as well
as the governor’s office, are
skeptical of the proposal.
“I don’t think the secre-
tary’s made the case for it,”
said Oregon Democratic
Party Chair Jeanne Atkins,
who previously served as
Oregon Secretary of State.
Atkins said the 2011
redistricting effort set a stan-
dard and that Oregon doesn’t
need to follow the likes of
California and Washington,
which have created indepen-
dent redistricting commis-
sions similar to the one being
proposed by Richardson.
“To jump to the conclu-
sion that we, too, need to
change our system just
because other states have,
I think is an errant jump,”
Atkins said.
iPhone 8 is a new generation of iPhone. Designed with the most durable
glass ever in a smartphone and a stronger aerospace grade aluminum band.
Charges wirelessly. 1 Resists water and dust. 2 4.7-inch Retina HD display with
True Tone. 3 12MP camera with new sensor and advanced image signal processor.
Powered by A11 Bionic, the most powerful and smartest chip ever in a
smartphone. Supports augmented reality experiences in games and apps.
With iPhone 8, intelligence has never looked better.
Promotional pricing is net $0. Requires select Postpaid Plan, new customer port-in, credit approval, Device Protection+, qualifying Smartphone turn-in and a 30-month Retail Installment
Contract. Net zero offer comes via a monthly bill credit of $19.97 plus a $100 U.S. Cellular Promotional Card.
Things we want you to know: Offer valid on base-memory model. New consumer or small business (20 lines or less) port-in and a select Postpaid Plan required. 2GB Total Plan and 3GB Shared Connect
Plan excluded. Purchase of device via 0% APR 30-month Retail Installment Contract, credit approval, qualifying Smartphone turn-in (for “On Us” promotional pricing) and Device Protection+ required. A $25
Activation Fee may apply. Tax due at sale. A Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee (currently $2.02) applies; this is not a tax or government required charge. Additional fees (including Device Connection Charges),
taxes, terms, conditions and coverage areas may apply and vary by plan, service and phone. Offers valid at participating locations only and cannot be combined. See store or uscellular.com for details. Minimum
monthly price of Device Protection+ is $8.99 ($9.99 on/after 11/2/2017) per Smartphone. A service fee/deductible per approved claim applies. You may cancel anytime. Property insurance is underwritten
by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida and provided under a Master Policy issued to U.S. Cellular. You will be the certificate holder on U.S. Cellular’s Master Policy for loss/theft benefits. Service
Contract Obligor is Federal Warranty Service Corporation in all states except CA (Sureway, Inc.) and OK (Assurant Service Protection, Inc.). Limitations and exclusions apply. Ask an associate for more details.
Smartphone turn-in: Smartphone must power on and cannot be pin locked. Device must be in fully functional working condition without any liquid damage or broken components, including, but not limited to,
a cracked display or housing. Qualifying turn-in devices include: iPhone 6 or better, Samsung Galaxy S ® 6 or better or Note 5. Offer with qualifying turn-in: “On Us” iPhone 8: Full price is $699. Customer will
receive a $100 U.S. Cellular Promotional Card at the point of sale, balance of $599 comes via a monthly bill credit of $19.97 on a 30-month Retail Installment Contract; 0% APR. Bill credit applied within three
bill cycles and ends when balance is paid. Line must remain in good standing. In the event of cancellation of service, customer will be responsible for the entire Retail Installment Contract balance. Available on
new line activations. Early upgrade eligibility is forfeited if offer is taken. $100 U.S. Cellular Promotional Card given at point of sale, or mailed with device via direct fulfillment orders. Promotional Card issued
by MetaBank, ® Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Valid only for purchases at U.S. Cellular stores and uscellular.com. Card must be used by expiration date shown on card. Kansas
Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can
be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective
owners. © 2017 U.S. Cellular 1 Charging mat sold separately. 2 iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are splash, water, and dust resistant and were tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP67
under IEC standard 60529. Splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear. Do not attempt to charge a wet iPhone; refer to the user
guide for cleaning and drying instructions. Liquid damage not covered under warranty. 3 Display size is measured diagonally.