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Bridging-the-Headgate in Washington
Reclamation in Washington
The State of Washington is served by three Reclamation Area Offices. The central and eastern portions of the state are served by the Upper Columbia Area Office headquartered in Yakima, Washington; the Lower Columbia Area Office headquartered in Portland, Oregon, serves the portion of the state lying west of the Cascade Mountains; and, the Snake River Area Office headquartered in Boise, Idaho, serves a small section of southeastern Washington (see map, and table of contacts below).
Upper Columbia Area Office - Yakima, Washington
In Washington State, Reclamation's Upper Columbia Area Office is working with the NRCS and local conservation districts to develop a strategy to provide joint technical support in developing an on-farm water measurement program within the South Columbia Basin Irrigation District. With 95% of the 200,000 acre district now under sprinkler irrigation, the program would take place in two phases: (1) an evaluation of new technology for volumetric farm turnout flow meters (reliability, costs, local testing) and, (2) an implementation phase that would look to take advantage of Washington State House Bill 1677 which enables irrigation districts to assist individual landowners with on-farm water conservation/water quality improvement projects.
Cooperation with the Roza Irrigation District
Reclamation is working with NRCS to establish a technical assistance position to work specifically with the Roza Irrigation District within the Yakima Valley. The position is intended to help implement the district's on-farm water quality loan program. The loan program, administered by the irrigation district, will fund on-farm system improvements such as converting from rill irrigation to drip, micro-spray or other efficient sprinkler technology, or installing tailwater return systems.
Conveyance Modernization
NRCS is working with Reclamation to provide assistance to the Grandview Irrigation District on their conveyance modernization program. Funded through the WCFSP, NRCS is providing field oversight in the replacement of old, leaking lateral pipelines.
Soil Moisture Monitoring
The Yakima office is working with the Kittitas County Conservation District to demonstrate the use of a new type of soil moisture monitoring system (called Enviroscan) for improved irrigation scheduling. Initiated by the district through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Reclamation is providing assistance to expand the demonstration program to row crops within the Yakima Project.
On-Farm Irrigation Water Management
Reclamation is also working with the Washington State Conservation Commission to promote better on-farm irrigation water management through improved communications between Columbia Basin Project agricultural water users (eighteen locally-led operator groups), local conservation districts, EPA, and the Washington State Department of Ecology.
