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OWEB Board Invests More than $10 Million in Watershed Enhancement Projects
September 18, 2008
News media contacts:
- Carolyn M. Devine, OWEB Communications Coordinator, (503) 986-0195
OWEB Invests in Final Phase of Large Scale Water Conservation Project in Bend.
On Tuesday, September 16, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board approved investments of over $10 million in grant applications. Funded grants include a variety of voluntary conservation projects that will improve water quality in all regions of the state. One of the largest, more than $1.4 million, is the third and final phase of a water conservation project in Bend. It will complete the last 1.2 miles of 5.1 miles of pipe, replacing an open irrigation canal. The collective three-phase piping project is Oregon's largest permanent water conservation achievement to date.
In Central Oregon, water seeps from irrigation canals into porous volcanic rock. Canals in the area typically lose forty to fifty percent of their water to seepage before it even reaches the farm. By using pipes rather than canals to convey water to farms, the Swalley Irrigation District will not need to draw as much water from the river. Specifically, this project will allow the Swalley Irrigation District to keep 217 gallows, or 29 cubic feet per second, in the Deschutes rather than diverting the water for irrigating farms.
More water in the Deschutes benefits residents, fish and wildlife, recreational users and farmers.
Increasing stream flow provides water for fish and wildlife, including native redband trout and ESA listed bull trout, which require minimum amounts of water to survive and spawn. Through improved flow the river stays cooler, a limiting factor for many aquatic species that live there according to Oregon Department of Environmental Quality water quality standards.
The pipe also saves energy. Pipes are narrower than canals, so water flows through them at a higher pressure. Less energy is required to deliver water to irrigated fields. In fact, the Swalley Irrigation District plans to take advantage of this aspect by using the pressurized water flow to generate energy.
The pipe will be safer than open irrigation canals. This section of the canal goes through the city of Bend in commercial areas, next to a fun center where children are present, through subdivisions and other developments. There have been a number of drownings in the basin and the intent is to prevent any more.
The implementation of the piping project required strong partnerships. "Projects such as this are a great example of the important kinds of win-win investments OWEB makes in communities across the state. The Swalley project partners are at the final stage of an effort that will benefit all users of the Deschutes River. OWEB is pleased to support projects with such positive outcomes to the environment and local economy," said Patricia Smith, citizen of Bend and member of the OWEB Board. The Swalley Irrigation District has worked with the Deschutes River Conservancy and funding has been received by OWEB, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, North Rim Foundation, Energy Trust of Oregon and others. OWEB has funded a total of over $3.7 million of the nearly $11 million project.
"In the past several years when federal funding for watershed restoration in Oregon has been virtually eliminated, OWEB funding has played a critical role in making up the shortfall. Many significant projects throughout the state would not have been possible without OWEB funding," said Tod Heisler, Executive Director of the Deschutes River Conservancy. "More than just filling the gap, however, OWEB funding has enabled watershed restoration to grow and expand and is the leading reason why organizations in watersheds like the Deschutes have been so successful advancing larger-scale restoration strategies."
About the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
OWEB is a state agency that invests in local voluntary actions across the state to improve water quality and conserve and restore habitat supporting fish and wildlife. OWEB funding comes from the Oregon Lottery as a result of a citizen initiative in 1998, sales of salmon license plates, federal salmon funds and other sources.
* OWEB will post a list of projects approved at this meeting by OWEB Region at http://oregon.gov/OWEB/GRANTS/grant_board_decisions.shtml.
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