Photograph by pbnaf. Listen to the audio file of this interview here .
Host intro:
The fertile farmland around the Columbia Basin in Washington produces an abundance of potatoes, a variety of field crops and is home to a growing number of wineries. Last week on Our Northwest, we learned that farmers around the Odessa Aquifer in Central Washington are quickly running out of water. Sueann Ramella talks with Mike Barber about ways to store and sustain water for agriculture in that area.
Ramella:
The Odessa aquifer is the primary water source for farms in a four-county area near Moses Lake. It includes some of the most arid country in Washington State. The good news is that Odessa is slated to receive part of a massive drawdown of water from Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam. The bad news, the infrastructure is not completely in place to deliver that water.
New canals are being considered in a comprehensive program now underway.
Projects fall under the following categories: Conservation infrastructure, better known as "pumps & pipes", surface storage, aquifer storage, pump exchange projects, maintenance projects and lots and lots of studies.
Director of Washington State Water Research Center, Michael Barber:
Barber:
There are a number of off-channel reservoirs that are being looked at. "Off-Channel" being water taken during the winter that you pump up into a currently dry drainage area, and store or release. There's aquifer storage in recovery. Lincoln County is trying a passive re-hydration project.
Ramella:
There is no shortage of ideas and proposals. But there is one thing in very short supply.
Barber:
It's really just a question of economics. You've heard for years that the Pacific Northwest has lots of water, it just isn't the right time. So, if we could just figure out a way to store it, we would be better off and more able to satisfy those sum of demands. But, it does come down to the dollar. Some of these projects that are being proposed are in the billions of dollars.
Ramella:
Is there anything controversial about these projects or farmers and their use of water around the Columbia Basin?
Barber:
Who should pay? The folks up in the Odessa sub-basin have been lobbing congress for support but, their looking at billions of dollars. How can you justify the expense of some of these projects when you look at how much per acre you're going to get: $35,000 an acre of irrigated land? It's just not feasible. Or, how do you justify how much a fish is worth and who should pay for it. The fish don't have money.
Ramella:
Let's set aside economics for now. A lot of these projects along the Columbia Basin are only in research phase. What are some techniques farmers are using now to conserve water?
Barber: They're looking right now at doing things like lining earthen ditches. One of the best things people can do is line their canals, either with concrete or with piping. So, they're trying to do that right now in parts of the state, in order to have additional water.
Ramella:
But conserving is not always a win-win situation for farmers.
Barber:
The farmer could run the risk of losing the portion that he saved.
Ramella:
Why is that?
Barber:
Because, they were issued for a certain amount of land and then the person saves it. Well, after five years, if he doesn't use it, then there's a potential that he could have to relinquish that water.
Ramella:
So, are there incentives for farmers to conserve water?
Barber:
Well, not enough. There are some things that are starting in some areas where they have water banking, and so conservation groups are trying to buy water for in-stream uses. Often they don't purchase the water rights but they've leased a certain amount of water, but certainly not enough.
Ramella:
But perhaps we would have enough water if we stored up water during
the off-season. Then we could have enough for all of our agricultural needs, for towns and fish. But, it sounds like we need money.
Barber:
Correct. That's the holy grail of water resources.
Outro:
Next week, we're looking at bringing water from Lake Roosevelt to towns along a massive swath of country from Wenatchee to Yakima and beyond. For more information about the Columbia River Basin Management program, go to Our Northwest at N-W-P-R dot org.
Links:
Odessa Aquifer info from Columbia Institute for Water Policy
Copyright @ 2008 Northwest Public Radio
