This was a good start, but I suggest you go back and do a follow-up article actually looking into the issues I mentioned above.Whether the crime is illegibility, overuse, or poor aesthetics, some typefaces simply suck.
If you've heard the term "useful idiot", that's how COID treats us. It's Deschutes River water just being dumped into the desert.but hey, the duck hunters appreciate it. Check out Reynolds Pond, Mayfield Pond, Little Houson, Big Houston Lake, Zell Pond and see how much water COID is dumping to "use" their water rights. They're hoping we forget all that and go through a divisive, angry, expensive, complicated process that pits property owners (yes, private property owners own the canal property, COID just owns easements) against environmentalists on their behalf.Īnd COID DOES dump water. Read everything COID says: they're not promising to divert *less* water from the Deschutes after piping. There isn't any other reason they care about.īut they got us all caring about it as if that will save the Deschutes. Why so much emphasis on this point? Because they want that water to flow through pipes to create "head" (pressure) for their hydropower plans. After the canals are piped, they will continue to divert the *same* amount of water that they currently do, nothing will change.ĬOID has environmentalists wringing their hands over water leaking that has ALREADY BEEN DIVERTED from the river.how does that help the Deschutes? COID is saying that it will save X cfs from leaking, but again, that's water already taken out of the river and running through the canal. You guys were almost there, then got distracted by piping and leaking canals, which is exactly what COID wants you to be distracted by.ĬOID is obligated to service water rights owners first and foremost and currently those owners are diverting a certain amount of water each year from the Deschutes River.
If you want to get to the real problem, go back to the water rights issue. For years local reporters just regurgitate COID talking points which are well-crafted to make us think that developing a piped system (paid for by public $$ and gives COID hydroelectric power revenue) helps the Deschutes river, but I'm just not seeing it? Would be great to understand this. I would love a reporter to get to the bottom of these questions. How is that the case when they divert the same amount of water they have rights to? "Unlined" canals are leaky, but the area next to the river isn't unlined, it's volcanic rock and definitely not losing 50% water there, so why do the irrigation districts focus on the area losing the least-amount of water?įinally, if this canal is piped against the wishes of the property owners, are the irrigation districts promising to divert LESS water from the river? It sounds like they won't, but still make statements that this is healthy for the river. Also, what is COID doing about the excessive water drawn/diverted out of the Deschutes because of an antiquated water rights system? Couldn't they reform these rights and divvy them up more equitably? They are only willing to share the "saved" water? It's predicated on this pipe project only.
Seems like excess water rights could be given to North Unit if COID wanted to, but they aren't. If COID/AID are so concerned about conservation, why do they allow precious water to dump in the desert at Mayfield Pond, Reynolds Pond and Zell Pond? How much unused water ends up at the end of the canal near Lake Billy Chinook? Why don't they pipe the dirt-lined sub-laterals first? That wouldn't be as expensive and farmers might welcome that. Hi Jack, thanks for this informative write-up.
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