Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 1966)
t KCrrNCI CAtCTTE A nswers ibwein Following are 35 question that have l-een ted by he nubile cm the Willow Crwk project anxunrs prepared by the l. S- Army Owp Kntrineer, the Bureau ol Kec limniKm. n1 th Stat Wa ler Resource Board. They re Minted to etv the public baekcround Information on matters concerninit th project hlrh are of Importance to residents, HOW MOCH rXOOD MOTTC TION WILL THE WILLOW CHECK FROJECT fROVlDEt The project will provide pro WILL THIS FROJECT BE ANY teclion against lloou original. nsH EXPECTED AS SOME- "''''' " "''" . "" , WU. I BE cOARAWTitu tng above the darmite It will TIMES OCCURS AT MeKAT "mrt o? Kl"leSll WHEN I WANT ITT Kl?riVhlTI!lfTfl DAM IN UMATIUJ1 C0?NiTT! !en I" The IrllgMl.TdWrli';; with the vroject . Vocation ?II ? forded to N McKay Dam was built In mpr;v,,nu.n, company then, as supply would normally be avail- r -w n t . m 1 u bv n Burrau ot Rlama- the representative of the land- able on demand throughout the LXT and acrKral ",n single Purpose project , Toniraeu with the red- rrlgatlon aeason. During e- tKlih I iJ!'0' irrigation. Mot Moras re. . , t;inornmcnt for repayment tended perl.mU of llow average along VUlUm nf" xrT rnolrs constructed these days, f f h o irrtgation emits, runoff, portages. If anv. wwild er degree of protection for the Lr, ftlf mu, tlDUriHe use. Willow I V" 7rv ih- irrieatlon tils- H .ht hv all i.roU-ct land-.. ----- - ireeK J1"' mouth to provide mum ui x r - lion to rural areas I net on and lone to be economically this time. In most cases, I'roiec- tion would require a large cap- urttv rock revetted cnannei. whose cost would far exceed benefits. The development of a channel tnrougn tieppner o orovide caoacltv for a discharge approaching the standard proj rrt flood oeak of 29.000 cfs would require a channel over 100 feet wide costing nearly three million dollars. This cost would not be Justdiea ana would provide only a partial solution to one of the basin needs. A storage project, besides being economically the test way to meet this flood problem. Is safer because the flood flow can be contained and later re leased at a non-destructive rate which could be beneficially used downstream. WOULDN'T A SERIES OF SMALL DAMS UP BOTH WIL LOW CREEK AND RHEA CREEK BE A BETTER AP PROACH TO FLOOD CONTROL? In studies of basin problems and the means of meeting them, a series of small dams was one of the possible solutions stud ied and found economically un feasible. Because most of the hocin area is treeless, relatively barren of vegetation, impervious to high intensity precipiiduuii, and cut with steep-sided gulch es, extreme flooding from cloud burst may occur. To provide the maximum feasible flood protec tion, the teservoir was located where the largest practical stor age capacity could be found and above the main potential flood damage areas. A similar stor age project on Rhea Creek is under study by the Soil Conser vation Service in cooperation with the local people. IF WILLOW CREEK DAM HAD BEEN IN EXISTENCE. WHAT WOULD THE 1964 WINTER FLOODS HAVE BEEN LIKE? Both the December 1964 and the January 1965 floods were un usual in that they were gener ated largely In areas below 3. 000 and 4,000 feet elevation, re spectively. Since most of the area upstream of Heppner Is above these elevations, little flows originated here. Most of the flow reaching the lower wu iipaaI ovaq nrifjlrl a tort from t the Knea creeK area, uetttuse lime iiows oriKinaieu auuc HeDDner. Willow Creek Dam's ability to trap these flows would have reduced downstream flood ing only slightly. We must not judge the potential for use of Willow Creek Reservoir solely on the basis of the two floods, as indicated bv the 1903 flood. For such a flood, Willow Creek Reservoir would release less than the bankfull capacity and afford complete protection. HAS A CORPS OF ENGINEERS' DAM OF THE TYPE PLANNED HERE, EVER FAILED? No. Projects which are con structed by the Corps of Engi neers are only built after care ful and complete exploration and design studies. A high safe ty factor is used to insure a safe rjroiect. The HeDDner damsite is among the best ever investigat ed by the Corps. HOW MANY YEARS OUT OF EACH TEN WILL THE DAM REACH ITS CAPACITY FOR BOTH RECREATION AND IRRI GATION? Six or seven years out of ten, usually In the late spring, the reservoir will fill and be avail able for recreation and Irriga tion. In most other years there will be a substantial supply. This estimate is based on. the hypothetical regulation of the last 32 years of streamflow da ta. CAN THE RESERVOIR BE MADE A SUCCESSFUL RECRE ATION LOCATION? Yes, because the basin has very iimited facilities for recre ation and sports fishing but con siderable local and regional in terest. Recreation plans will be developed in conjunction with local agencies to meet the needs of the area. Existing water-related recreation outlets nearest to Heppner are McKay Reservoir, 55 miles distant; McNary Reser-; INGTON. AND IONE THAI 110 nnrry. i.pu vo-i - ment contract is signea ao uie JUST A GOOD CHANNEL , space would bo reserved In tne ianti4nvners bcome obligated to CLEARANCE TO TAKE CARE , bottom of the rescnolr for the ,ncl, shjln. of prt)j,-t costs. or MICH WATERf gradual aixumulatlon of scdi- j OF HIGH WATtHT nd rnent to assure full effective use! WHAT ADVANTAGES MIGHT Imovcmcnt by levee and, mfche,0aUve oraRC gpace for,AN IMPROVEMENT COM PANT "TsTLrhani of VdloWl veara. An additional 500 OTFER OVER AN IRRIGATION the 45 mile channel of W How . i . . storaKe wouu te DISTRICT? TlMCS. Taunsdar. rbraarr 1 9d voir, H7 mites; John Pay Reser votr. W miles; nd Bull prairie Reservoir 133 acres!. 4 J miles. WILL THIS BE JUST A BREED ING GROUND rOR MOSQUIT OESf The rubllc Health Service rec ommend mosquito prevention measure which will be inolud ed bv the Cort of Knulneer in the planning, design, con ttrurtum. and oicratton of the project. This provides assurance ac-sinst the creation ol a mos quito production problem. WILL THE DAM BE DRAINED AND A CONSEQUENT LOSS OT j Creek Dam and Reservoir is to ribe a multlpuriose reject with . pool space stHH-lf tcally allotted . . . . . v. 1 ... . . r u...i ' rt-sen el for fish survival andj nmon mate name Commission. !WiLL I LOSE MT WATER RICHTS AFTER THE DAM IS CONSTRUCTED? No! The Bureau of Reclama- tion recognizes all water rights In the development of the ir-' j riration asoect of the project. ThoM w no narticipate in the nroiect would be expected to agree to forego winter divers ions as now practiced. This wa ter would be stored for use la-t- Murine tha irrigation season when the natural flow is not sufficient and It could be put to, more beneticiai use. aier rights held by those not partic ipating in the project would be administered by the State of Oregon according to current pol icy. HOW WILL THE WATER flOXt prOlOC- ,. ,. ti,w i ,i.lit. i k-i roUtlvotv fast flfld CCO- . 1 nv-ri.if inn anil uoulil lina h. nrmrlnHI BllvaninCl" 01 and to Lex- , . .. . uhlrh outwit the r.r.i,-l t.i form. The earlier the w as not iouna ' ". " , i " " - thom. n. anKiers, annual m'""" '! unuunnua .! .. ieasioie ai ,.. K.. ..ririn. ..1.,- ih. .w-n..r ihtr desires m in-ii'i'iiu'iii M uu iu . 1 v 111 j 1 7. 1 iil v -v . 1 ,..-. - - - i RIGHTS ON LANDS TO BE meeting in Heppner on 30 Oct FLOODED BY THE RESERVOIR ober iy63, the landowners' com BE DISPOSED OF TO OTHER J mittce proposed to form a dis LAND OWNERS? trlct improvement company. There are two things which might happen to the water rights the affected owners now have (1) The owner might sell his water right and it could be 1 transferred to some other " tract j of land provided the transfer did not injure others, ir ne did tnis, the land would then in actual ity be unirrigated and without water rights and would be worth less when purchased by the Corps. (2) If the land has water rights at the time of purchase bv ' the Corps, the water rights would be extinguished with the same effect as if they had never existed. This would mean that a little more water would be available to existing water us ers. IF A SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE SPONSO RED DAM SHOULD BE BUILT ON RHEA CREEK. HOW WILL THIS AF FECT THE DOWNSTREAM WA TER RIGHTS ON WILLOW CREEK? No dam, whether built by the 1 Corps, the Bureau of Reclama tion, or the Soil Conservation Service would eliminate a per son's water rights. All water . i ' : i : planning a Federal project. ARE THE LANDOWNERS RE QUIRED TO PAY ALL COSTS ASSIGNED TO IRRIGATION? No. The landowners would pay according to their "payment capacity" which is based on the increased net farm income re sulting from irrigation. Costs beyond the landowners' pay ment capacity would be return ed to the Federal Treasury from surplus Federal power revenues. WHAT FACTORS ARE CONSID ERED IN DETERMINING THE LANDOWNERS "PAYMENT CA- PACITY?" The term "payment capacity" is defined as the amount a larm er can afford to pay for irriga tion 'water. Basically, the pay ment capacity represents the difference between anticipated general economic conditions of the area with and without the project In operation. Factors considered in this determination include types of soils, crops that can be grown, transportation, markets, etc. The type of serv ice is also a factor in this de termination. For example, where storage water is released into the stream and the irrigator has the expense of getting the wa ter to his land, his payment ca pacity is less than if the proj ect provided delivery of water to the land. WHAT IS THE LANDOWNERS' PAYMENT CAPACITY IN THIS AREA? Based on very preliminary studies, the irrigators could be expected to pay approximately $3 per acre-foot of project wa ter diverted onto the land. A part of this charge would be used to pay operation and maintenance costs, and the dif ference would be paid to the Federal Government on con struction costs. Detailed studies are required to establish a firm estimate of payment capacity. oin HOW DOES THE FEDERAL ...r.wwrwv r-nitrrr 1RR1- CATION COSTS TROM THE I AN DOWNERS r . n,ninpti i nr ai -i nil ' ' " - - : with ent trlct I sessmcnis. coiicvi. collects from the landowners and mahe pay ments annually to the lo em inent. IS IT NECESSARY TO FORK AN IRRIGATION DISTRICT OR IMPROVEMENT COMFANY? Since the Government cannot ,r,cl ,h antownecs do not ob- ,ltfate thomselves for any of the ,)tt,j,H.t ,4. only after a repay- ' . , . . . An Improvement cmpany mnwrnlnf irrieatlon will be es tablished and the sooner the Corps and the Bureau can com plete further Irrigation studies and development. There are nearlv as many improvement companies In Oregon as there j ore irrigation districts. The members of an improvement company may later change to - - - " 1 desire more power for easier an irrigation aisinct. u mrj worKanuuy. WHAT WOULD BE THE COSTS OF FORMING AN IMPROVE- 1 MENT COMPANY OR AN IRRI- CATION district r riYsts nf forming a district de pend upon the size of the proj ect, number of landowners and type of district. A good Indica tion of costs could be obtained by contacting either the State t'ndmw or the Oregon State u'atr Resources Board. At a ;Thjs type of district is less ex pensive to form, iney are 01 ten formed for less than S600. Irri oatlnn districts USUalW COSt about twice as much to form because of the additional cost 0f newspaper publications and on oiortinn hut have certain ad vantages over other forms of districts. WHEN MUST A REPATMENT CONTRACT BE SIGNED? A contract must be negotiat ed before actual construction can start on a project that in cludes irrigation as a project function. If an irrigation dis trict or improvement company were formed but did not ap prove the repayment contract with the Government, the proj ect would not include irrigation as a function and the district would have no further financial obligation toward the project. WHEN DO PAYMENTS ON IR RIGATION ACTUALLY START? Pavment of operating costs start the first year water is de- Hvered. A development period of 1 to 10 vears. to De deter mined by detailed studies, will be allowed and the irrigators will pay only operating costs during this period. The first as sessment for the interest free construction costs would be made at the end of the devel opment period. DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE WATER ALLOCATED TO MY FARM EVEN IF I DONT USE IT? You must first participate in the project before an allocation of water can be made. Construc tion costs incurred for irrigation must he returned to the uov ernent, generally over a 50-year period. These costs prorated on an annual basis, along wiin an nual operation costs, must be paid each year by the district. What you pay will depend on how the Board of Directors of your irrigation district or im provement company decides to assess charges. Charges are us ually assessed on an annual basis. IF I NEED A LOT OF WATER ONE YEAR BUT NOT MUCH THE NEXT. DO I ONLY PAY FOR WHAT I USE? This will also depend on how the Board of Directors of your irrigation district or improve ment company decides to as sess charges for water delivery. In some cases, it is a flat rate for an adequate supply. In oth er cases, a rate is assessed for a base quantity adequate for the average farming operation and additional charges are made for excess water delivery over this amount. WILL I GET AS MUCH WATER AS I HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY USING? It is not possible to give a yes or no answer to this ques tion because some water ap plied under existing conditions, especially during the winter months, is not beneficially used. The important point is that those who participate in the project will receive a supply ad equate to raise any of the crops l locally nrcamrcvi jrn. .",' winter diversion and HV. such as an irruauon ". - - Improvement company, in " ...... ral orcanlat on. inroucn lh ,,,.. I. .... nh .-! uitter user. ... Willow Creek Project Questions that can be succelully crown In the area. Water will tie- llvcred when most tW W optimum plant Kroth. Ilit U the real advantage ol project ,Mmin, their existing right. However, unless a sufficient numter of Irrigators participate in the project and agree to forego winter divers ion, there may not Ih adequate water for storage to Justify a protect. n n r it should also rw kept In mind that the Irrigation part of the project will be managed nv me Irrigation district which will be made up of local irrigators. With this arrangement, water would be delivered, as nearly as humanly possible, to meet the needs of those partlcliatlng In the project. WILL THE WATER USERS ON BOTH RHEA AND WILLOW CREEKS BE MADE TO BECOME A PART OF THE IRRIGATION DISTRICT TO BE FORMED? The Bureau of Reclamation does not force anyone to be come a part of an irrigation dis trlct. as that Is strictly a per sonal decision. However, those who will benefit from the proj ect should become participating members of a district organized according to Oregon law. The project as planned would not benefit Rhea Creek water users, so there would be no reason for '((U I J i l tv "vuiu - tnem to j0in an irrigation dis trict. HOW MUCH LAND WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THE PROJECT? The total project land require ments of about 570 acres will include the dam and spillway. 100 acres for recreation devel opment, and 61 acres for reloca tions. Lands needed for the res ervoir include a minimum of 300 j feet of freeboard (measured nor- j izontally from full pool at ele-1 vatlon 2098) to allow for such ; harkwater effects as wave ac- tion. sloughing, bank erosion, and saturation. Just over 12 ac res will be required for con struction of the improved chan nel through Heppner. Public meetings will be held by the Corps as early as possible In advance of construction to des cribe the actual lands required and answer those specific ques tions that will vary from owner ship to ownership. IF MY PROPERTY IS REQUIRED FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THIS PROJECT. HOW MUCH WILL I BE PAID? The rights of a citizen are nroteeted bv the Fifth Amend ment of the Constitution of the United States which permits private property to be acquired for public use provided that the property owner is paid "just compensation" for any of this property taken. The Constltu tion does not define "just com pensation." Neither are there general statutes which attempt to establish criteria upon which tn hnse navments to property owners affected by public works projects. The determination 01 "Just compensation," therefore, is a Judicial question. The Fed eral courts have defined Just compensation" as "fair market value." It Is the Corps of Lngl neers' desire and duty to pay the property owner "Just com pensation." WILL THE PRESENCE OF THE DAM ADVERSELY AFFECT THE PROPERTY VALUE OF Ml HOME DOWNSTREAM FROM THE DAM? ' Although there has been no complete study on this, the con sensus or opinion iaer iv chlorine ihA manv. manv cit ot that are on rivers and ctronma How nstream irom dams) is that property value would not be adversely affect ed. If anything, most people would rather live downstream from a riam that.WOUld protect their lives and property than be at the mercy of the river. .very effort will be made to construct a dam and related facilities that harmonize with the adjoining landscape. HOW MANY WORKERS WILL BE EMPLOYED FOR THE CON STRUCTION OF THE DAM AND HOW LONG WILL THEY BE HERE? Although it Is contingent up- on allocation 01 coiisuuluuh funds by Congress, it is estima ted that construction of the project will require two calen dar years. Based upon experi pnr from other dam projects, it is estimated that approximately 50 workers will be employed ine first year and 230 the second year. This esumaie mtiuuca both contractor and government employees and represents a to tal population, employees and their families, of about 120 and 600 for the first and second years, respectively. There is no wav of knowing how many of these employees will reside In Heppner during the construction period. This depends, naturally, on the iacimies avauaDie m Heppner and in nearby commu nities. As a matter of interest, and as a possible means of comparison, many of th wtukcrs on the Lower Snak KUer dams cur rently under construction, com mute from Walla WalU Hay ton. Walthurg. and 1'asco. Com muting distances arc. in some liihtaiKv, nearly t0 mile one way. The construction ihvUmU on these projects arc, how ever, con siderably longer than on tha Heppner protect. Some of the wkcr on the projects live In trailer camp near the sites. It may reasonably be cMectcd that a constitcrabl number of the workers, and their families, will reside In Heppner If thev can obtain adequate facilities at reasonable cost. Sine the con duction crlod Is short. It would not be expected that manv would buy homes, but would. Instead, rent home In Heppner and nearby communi ties, such as lone and Lexing ton. Because rental units would be limited in availability, it would I reasonable to assume that manv of the workers would live In trailer parks tn. or near. Heppner. WILL THE WORKERS SPEND MUCH MONET HERE? The total payroll for the Wil low Creek project will amount to approximately S2.000.0H0. The amount of this money spent In Heppner and Morrow County will, of course. deend upon how manv of the workers ehHe to live there, and upon tne availability and cost of the fa cilities and services required. IF THE DAM IS BUILT AND THE RUNOrr CONTROLLED. WONT MORE WILLOW TREES GROW UP IN THE CREEK? If the dam Is built and streamflows regulated, some additional growth of willow trees may occur In the channel. In such a case the regular re moval of excess growth would be desirable to maintain an ad equate channel and keep trans piration losses from vegetation within reason. Maintenance of the channel will become a re sponsibility of the Irrigation dis trlct and the expense would be To All the People Of Morrow County YOU ARE Pybfl Willow Creek IN HEPPNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MULTIPURPOSE ROOM Representatives Will Be Present From The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers State Water Resources Board, and Bureau of Reclamation The District Watermaster Will Also Be Present An Attempt Will Be Made To Answer All Questions of Potential Irrigators And Others In Regard to the For mation Of The Willow Creek Dam. This Meeting is of Utmost Importance And We Urge Attendance of All Those Interested. a part of the project's annual t- eration and maintenance nwim Maintenance .f th channel through the City if Heppner will be a responsibility i( the city. WHO WILL OPERATE THE PROJECT? The prelect will probably I 0crated under the supellon of the staff at McNary lm Kh an iiertor detailed a required during the IUsmI season, puilnjt the urtgatlon season It Is rt ected the operation would In" supervKM bv repremnlatlv of the Irrigation district or com pany. The management of the recreation facilities would be a reiHnsibllliy of the local Inter ests. SMHtftc arrangements re garding mte't nefallon will le made during the construction stages of the project. AFTER THE FORMATION Or AN IRRIGATION DISTRICT OR IMPROVEMENT COMPANY. HOW WILL THIS ArrECT MY TAXES? Since the productivity of th land and the land values are higher with Irrigation, most counties assess Irrigated lands at a higher rate than nonlrrt gated lands. However, the tax assessment are the resimnsibll Hv of the county nfflit.ils and are not established by the Fed eral Government. HOW MUCH MONEY IS IT GOING TO COST THE CITY OF HEPPNER AND MORROW COUNTY? Prior to construction of Wil low Creek Darn and Reservoir local Interests will need to: (1) Make arrangement to re pay costs allocated to Irrigation. This will Involve water user formed Into an Irrigation or wa ter district, however. n4 the City or County. That part of the cost beyond the irrigator "pay ment capacity" will be repaid from revenues derived from ells liositlon of turner mark e I e d through the Bonneville Power Administration. (2) Provide without cost to INVITED TO ATTEND A iic llvleetoini ON THE Tuesday, February At 1:30 P.M. Morrow County Court fulled Htste all lank .-mriilv rU'tits of way. ni relocation necessary for eon sttutlon of the channel Im provement thnuiifh th I'MV Itrppn.-. Tl estimated tl I muss). 131 Hold and save lh Untied State Itee fiom all damage In cident to eonsttuctlon, operation, and maintenance of Ue Im proved rhannrl through Hepp ner. II) Make artaiigement for payment ol the construction cost, estimated t S72.UM. alio rated tu municipal and Indus trial water supply I'lus a nom inal chats for ei-eiatlon, main tenance, and replacrmenta. Thll repayment would be by th ctiy and mav spread over W year with the first len ear Intetest ftee. t5 1 Admlntslrr project land and water areas for fish and wildlife enhancement. (6) Make arrangements to re pay with Interest one-half the cost allocated to fish and wild life enhancement which r es timated at S-YI.Ull). Th sponsor mav. with agreement of the t ori, charge a reaonab! user fee to help defray this cost Fish stocking would be accomplished by the State. 171 Hear all cost of oeratton. maintenance. nd replacement ,f recreation and fish and wild life lands and facilities. The tlmated annual cost Is 1 ?. Knitting Club Meets Busy Needle 4 11 Knitting club worked on proJetH at th meeting January M at the horn of Mr Herb FJutrorn. Jr. I'has 1 continued knitting their bats and phase 3 worked on their ,,-ater. We meet again HI day. February 4 M Mrs. t-Ks-truin's borne. DAnn Barnett. reporter When you tatronlz Catett. Time advertiser, yo1 make a bitter paper Tell them you saw 11 in 1 Project 8 Ih
