STATE
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
A15
Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press
Irrigation systems on a farm near Mount Hood.
Deadline for
classified ads
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Monday
Find the crossword puzzle on page A6
WALLOWA COUNTY SENIOR
Meal sites are open for in-dining!
Meal site information: Wallowa 886-8971, Enterprise
426-3840, Home delivered meals 426-3840.
Mon. Apr. 11: Roast beef, mashed red potatoes & gravy,
buttered carrots, mixed fruit & apple crisp
(sponsored by Wallowa Assembly of God)
Wed. Apr. 13: Baked ham, roasted red potatoes, seasoned
green beans, broccoli salad & strawberry
shortcake (sponsored by Rotary Club)
Fri. Apr. 15: Chicken fajita with salsa & sour cream, Spanish
rice, green salad, pears & brownie (Thank you
volunteer Meals on Wheels drivers)
ENTERPRISE SCHOOLS
(Milk, fruit & vegetables served with all meals)
Mon. Apr. 11: Breakfast: Bacon & eggs
Lunch: Pork chops w/mashed potatoes & corn
Tue. Apr. 12: Breakfast: Ham & potatoes
Lunch: Tacos & refried beans
Wed. Apr. 13: Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Mac & cheese and broccoli
Thur. Apr. 14: Breakfast: Biscuits & gravy
Lunch: Corn dogs & fries
Fri. Apr. 15: Breakfast: Waffles
Lunch: Pizza
To sponsor a senior meal,
call 426-3840 or stop by the
Community Connection office.
Nine water rights tools for Oregon
farms and ranches facing drought
term tool for a farmer who
does not have water right.
According to Howard, a
farmer can apply for a lim-
SALEM — As much of ited water license to estab-
Oregon faces another year lish a crop for which further
of drought, water experts say irrigation won’t be required,
farmers and ranchers should such as a vineyard or hazel-
be aware of all the tools nut orchard, or to mitigate
available to them under the the impacts of drought when
state’s water laws.
water is needed “to
At a seminar
avoid
irreparable
Tuesday, March 31,
damage to the user’s
Elizabeth Howard,
crop.”
Oregon water law
• Exempt water
attorney, and Lind-
uses: Howard said
say Thane, natural
it’s also useful for
resources attorney,
farmers to be aware
Howard
both of Schwabe,
of exempt water uses
Williamson
&
in Oregon — oppor-
Wyatt, spoke about
tunities to use water
nine tools for farm-
within
limitations
ers through the state
without applying for
Water
Resources
a permit.
Department,
or
Farms may qual-
OWRD.
ify for the surface
“There are tools
water stock water
Thane
available to water
exemption, commer-
users, especially in
cial and industrial
drought years,” said Thane.
uses exemption and domes-
• Drought transfers: If tic water rights exemption.
Oregon’s governor issues
• Conserved water
a drought declaration for a rights: A conserved water
county, water users in that right allows a farmer to
county can then access emer- shrink a water right tempo-
gency water use tools, one of rarily and move the balance
which is a “drought transfer.” to other places, such as to
According to Thane, a in-stream fl ows that benefi t
farmer can apply for an expe- fi sh.
dited, short-term drought
• New water right: A
transfer of their water right farmer can also apply for a
to change its type of use, new water right, but these
place of use or location of are diffi cult to get.
the point of diversion.
“It’s pretty much impos-
• Temporary emergency sible to get a surface water
water use permits: This right in Oregon right now
tool is also only available to because basically all the
drought-declared counties.
water has been allocated,”
According to Thane, if an said Howard.
existing surface water right
Thane said getting a new
doesn’t have enough water groundwater right is more
during drought — for exam- plausible, but OWRD has
ple, a stream dries up — then labeled some parts of Oregon
the farmer can apply for an as “groundwater restricted
emergency permit to tempo- areas” where new wells can’t
rarily tap into groundwater.
be drilled.
These expedited applica-
• Stored water right:
tions should take 10 days to The fi nal tool is called a
process.
stored water right, enabling
• Temporary transfers: a farmer to create a
A temporary transfer allows
farmers to move water to
areas of critical need.
Applicants need not come
from a drought-declared
county.
A farmer can change the
place of use, point of diver-
sion or type of use of a cer-
tifi ed water right and can
move water on their own
property or temporarily
transfer to another farmer.
Unlike the fi rst two tools,
a temporary transfer takes
longer to apply for and
process.
“This isn’t a particularly
speedy process most of the
time,” said Thane.
Howard said this tool “is
really good to think about for
long-term planning.”
• Agriculture water use
transfers: Howard said an
agriculture water use trans-
fer can be useful during hot
and dry years.
The tool enables a farmer
with an existing irrigation
water right to use that right
for purposes other than irri-
gation — “incidental agri-
cultural uses” including dust
control, keeping farm ani-
mals cool or giving drink-
ing water to livestock within
limitations.
• Limited licenses: A
limited license is a short-
By SIERRA DAWN
McCLAIN
Capital Press
water from a reservoir or
pond for a specifi c purpose.
The right to store water is
separate from the right to use
the stored water.
pond or reservoir.
For this tool, said How-
ard, a farmer needs two
rights — the right to store
water and the right to remove
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