Heppner gazette-times., March 06, 1985, Page SIX, Image 14

S IX
F ir m
S rc lio n
V \rd ne % d sv M a rch *
IM S
Crop irrigation costs electrical consumers, says OSU study
been q uestion ed because it did not
co n sid e r enough of the v a r ia b le s
in vo lve d T h e new study co n sid e rs
m any m o re v a ria b le s ou tlin es the
fin a n c ia l im p lic a tio n s in s e v e ra l
d iffe re n t sc e n a rio s and o ffe rs some
po ssib le so lutio n s to the pro b lem s
in vo lve d
o n e p r im a r y problem w ith h yd ro
e le c tric pow er g eneratio n is that
C ro p irrig a tio n w ith C o lu m b ia
H iv e r w a te r ha . d ra m a tic a lly boost
cd (a r m p ro d u c tiv ity in K a s le r n
O regon and M ash in g io n
but not
w ithout coat to I ’ a c ific N orth » r a t
e le c tric ity c o t u u m m
A n r * atu d) at O regon S ta te
U n iv e rs ity find» that w a te r u »rd for
im ita tio n c a u se * a lia u of h y d ro
e le c tric g e n e ratin g c a p a c ity
Kor
e x a m p le
e xp a n sio n of im ita te d
a re a s in the K a s t H i|(h d is tric t of
h àiste rn M ash in g io n . usinât w a te r
fro m the la k e fo rm e d by (ir a n d
Coulee H a m . could co st o v e r ».NX) per
w ate r flow flu c tu a te s w id elv from
y e a r to y e a r B e c a u se of th a t, other
fa c ilitie s m ust tie bu ilt to m eet
e le c t r ic d e m a n d s d u r in g p e a k
period s an d in low w a te r y e a rs ,
when the h y d ro e le c tric su p p ly is
in su ffic ie n t
B e c a u se of th a t. M c C a rl sa id ,
su b sta n tia l co sts a re in c u rre d when
developed a c r e to re p la c e lost itener
a tin it c a p a c ity If th is a re a w e re
fu llv dev rlo p e d as proposed it would
cost e le c tric ra te p a y e rs atxiu t $70
m illio n per y e a r
H o w e v e r, th e re m ay tie w a y s that
f a rm e rs and h y d ro e le c tric produc
e rs could coop erate fo r m u tu a l
fa rm e rs w ith irrig a tio n rig h ts to
C o lu m b ia R iv e r w a te r ta k e a ll
th e y 're en title d to, even in low w a te r
y e a rs In thuse low w a te r y e a rs ,
other pow er so u rce s, su ch a s coal
am i n u c le a r g e n e ratin g p la n ts, be
com e p a r t ic u la r ly n e c e ssa ry for
peak po w er d e m an d s And (he con
ben efit and re d u ce these lo sses
a cc o rd in g to B ru c e M c C a r l and
M a rk B o ss
who conducted the
study
H i s t o r i c a l l y . C o lu m b ia H iv e r
w a te r had not been h ig h ly va lu e d
b ecause it w a s so ab un dan t " said
M c C a r l. an O S U p ro fe sso r of a g ri
c u ltu re and re so u rc e eco n o m ics
It 's d iffe re n t now V irtu a lly a ll of
the r iv e r w a te r p asse s through
h y d ro e le c tric g e n e ratin g f a c ilitie s
am i w ith these fa n ta s tic a lly esp en
s iv e (lo w er p la n ts being bu ilt for
stru c tio n of those pow er p lan ts is an
e x p e n siv e n e c e ssity d icta te d bythe
c u rre n t sy ste m
M e d e fin ite ly d e te rm in e d that
th ere is a tra d e o ff betw een ir rig a
lion and g e n e ratin g c a p a c ity , and
we w e re a b le to put som e d o lla r
fig u re s on the lo sses in v o lv e d ."
M c C a rl s a id
New irrig a tio n d evel
oped by the B u re a u of R e c la m a tio n
in the K a s t H igh D is tr ic t, w h ich does
m>t in v o lv e su b sta n tia l w a te r fees or
p aym en t for the pum ping co sts to
d e liv e r it to the fa rm , ca n coat a re a
e le c tric ity co n su m e rs the e q u iva le n t
of $2ooper a c re each y e a r C o lu m b ia
R iv e r w a te r is not a v a lu e le ss
c o m m o d ity "
M c C a rl noted that these coats
w ould be offset by the p o sitive
e ffe c ts of a g ric u lt u ra l output, a s its
su p p le m e n tary p o w e r, the cost of
red uced r iv e r flow is su b sta n tia l
New irrig a tio n d evelo p m ent can
d iv e rt w a te r fro m these d a m s , and
the d a m s do not h a v e w a te r r ig h ts
T in s re s e a rc h conducted through
the M a te r R e so u rc e s R e s e a rc h In
s tltu le a t O S l' h a s g e n e ra lly recon
firm e d s im ila r co n c lu sio n s of a itmi
study done by re s e a r c h e rs at M ash
ington S tate U n iv e r s it y , w h ich had
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Vv
M
Ï
y. uV
short In about th ree y e a rs out of 40
they m ig ht he asked not to w ith d raw
any w a te r and would tie paid a f a ir
p ric e by u tility co m p an ie s fo r the
a g ric u lt u ra l lo sses. M c C a r l sa id
It a p p e a rs we co u ld b etter a ffo rd
to pay the fa rm e rs fo r th e ir losses
ra th e r than bu ild p o w rr p la n ts ju st
for [leak d em and p erio d s ' M c C a rl
not to fa rm in low w a te r flow y e a rs
T h is w ouldn t e lim in a te the coats to
e le c tric ity c o n su m e rs, but it would
help
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these co sts red uced by the B u re a u of
R e c la m a tio n o r in tu b s id u e d pow er
ra te s In (he K a s t H igh d is tr ic t, th is
ap p ro a ch w ould re d u ce the coat of
the w a te r in te rm s of po tential
h yd ro p o w er
A big s a v e r , h o w e ve r, w ould be a
sy ste m of in te rru p tib le w a te r a cc e ss
for a g ric u ltu re , in w h ich fa rm e rs
w ould re c e iv e w a te r o n ly in y e a rs
w hen w a te r flow is not c r it ic a lly
sa id
"By o u r fig u rin g . It m ig ht
red uce pow er co n su m e rs coats by *0
p e rce n t, ju st by p a yin g the fa rm e rs
Includes 30 ft. of Drills, 3 sections; Hillside
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M l 8RTANT
p ro fits a re re c y c le d through the
lo ca l co m m u n itie s H o w e v e r, these
h rn e fits often a p p ra r to be less than
the co als he said
T h e re a re s e v e r a l w a y s of red uc
ing the coats to co n su m e rs of new
ir r ig a t io n d e v e lo p m e n t
M cC a rl
said One p o ssib ility is to en co u rag e
d evelopm ent of irrig a te d a g ric u l
tu re in d o w n stream a re a s of the
C o lu m b ia that h a v e le ss hyd rop ow er
po tential Som e su ch land is a v a il
ab le in O regon and sou th ern M ash
ington. he sa id
A n o th e r o p tio n w o u ld r e q u ir e
fa rm e rs to pay the fu ll co sts of
b rin g in g w a te r to th e ir la n d , w h ich
re q u ire s e x p e n siv e e le c tr ic a l pum p
ing s y s te m s , ra th e r than h avin g
■
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MILLER & SONS WELDING
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