Editorials & Opinion:

Originally Published, July 17, 2003


Another View: Work together on water

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Gale Norton

Gale A. NortonWater plays a pivotal role in sustaining a healthy environment and a growing economy for communities in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. But as population growth and environmental needs heighten competing demands for water supplies, it is critically important that local, state, and federal leaders work together to find ways to prevent chronic shortages from escalating into crisis and conflict.
That is the aim of a conference in Boise today, Water 2025: Preventing Crisis and Conflict in the West, one of nine such meetings around the West this summer. The goals of Water 2025 are to help identify the watersheds facing the greatest risk of water shortages in the next 25 years; evaluate the most effective and attainable ways of addressing water supply challenges; and recommend realistic, cooperative planning approaches and tools that have the most likelihood of success.

A Department of the Interior initiative, the Water 2025 proposal recognizes that states, tribes, local governments and affected communities have the leading role in this effort and sets out a blueprint to work with these partners on pragmatic, locally based solutions. Our emphasis is solving problems through mutual understanding and agreements instead of looking for ways to assert an increased federal presence.

Water 2025 seeks to develop collaborative efforts similar to the Deschutes Resources Conservancy in Oregon, which is working to improve both the quantity and quality of water in the Deschutes River basin. The conservancy is made up of business leaders, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, irrigation districts, local environmental groups, and other private interests, all of whom work cooperatively with Interior´s Bureau of Reclamation.

This initiative has successfully leveraged federal funds with other cost-share dollars to complete a number of important ecosystem restoration projects and set up the Deschutes Water Bank, which allows the voluntary transfer of water to meet the region´s changing needs.

In another exemplary effort, Oregon´s Tumalo Irrigation District, which has experienced major water shortages in the past three years, worked with the Bureau of Reclamation to restore Tumalo Creek, in part by replacing a portion of the Bend Feed Canal with a pipeline. Piping the canal reduced water losses due to seepage and improved the reliability of water deliveries. The project not only conserved water for other important uses but also maintained a migration route for fish between spawning areas and the Deschutes River.

On the lower Lemhi River, near Salmon, modifications to irrigation canals that draw water from the main stream have improved fish passage and provided better control of irrigation water. The projects were sponsored by the Idaho Office of Species Conservation and a Bonneville Power Administration grant funded the work. The Bureau of Reclamation provided the design and the Lemhi Soil and Water Conservation District administered the construction contracts. The initiative is a model of what I call the 4Cs — consultation, cooperation, and communication in the cause of conservation.

Within today´s context of federal budget realities and environmental mandates, Water 2025 seeks to build on and expand local initiatives such as these. Targeted federal assistance can help farmers, ranchers, and municipalities to more efficiently use their irrigation and drinking water, stretching local supplies even further. Advanced canal-lining materials and automated pumping and canal controls can conserve substantial amounts of water.

Edition Date: 07-17-2003