ONTARIO, Ore.—Water will start flowing into the Owyhee Irrigation District’s 400 miles of canals, laterals and ditches a week earlier than planned.
OID board members have decided to start the system on April 4 rather than April 11 in part because persistent high winds have dried soils out and a lot of farmers have already planted, said district manager Jay Chamberlin.
“We figured if we waited until the 11th, we would be behind the eight ball,’ he said.
OID provides irrigation water for 1,800 farms and 118,000 acres in Eastern Oregon and part of southwestern Idaho.
OID board member and farmer Frank Ausman said there are spots on the system near Adrian with lighter soils that dry out quicker than other soil in the area.
“Those guys have a lot planted and they’re needing a drink,” he said.
That area near Adrian didn’t receive some of the rainstorms other areas did, said farmer and OID board member Bruce Corn.
The board set the 2016 allotment for OID patrons at an initial 3 acre-feet but it’s expected to increase as the Owyhee Reservoir continues to fill.
The Owyhee Reservoir had 402,000 acre-feet of usable storage water as of March 30, which is 56 percent of it’s total capacity.
Based on U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Natural Resources Conservation Service estimates, between 250,000 and 400,000 acre-feet of water is still headed for the reservoir this year.
Source: www.capitalpress.com