The Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association is running an attached full-page "open memo" ad in several regional papers and magazines to address three key areas.  The CSRIA’s Darryll Olsen said the first item deals with the Lower Snake River biological opinion litigation that is ongoing.

 

“And that it points out that the plaintiffs in that, which are the folks that are looking to dam breaching, are going to carry that issue forward. There has to be an answer provided to the U.S. Federal District judge in July, about what will be done toward implementation of dam breaching, or deep drawdowns on two or four of the projects.”

 

What about water rights and the State Department of Ecology?

 

“The last four years have been very rough in water rate changes in transfers, both through the irrigators, and the municipalities, like city of Pasco," Olsen noted.  "And I believe there's been six pieces of litigation started here in the last year-and-a-half, and what we're doing is bringing to the Governor's attention that we have a problem here.”

 

Lastly, there is a high level of demand for irrigated agriculture in the Columbia Basin.  Olsen said things get problematic with climate change demands.

 

“What that means is, we're looking at in very real time, irrigated ground that's going out of production, as it relates to the Colorado system and in California. And those people they want to stay in production irrigated agriculture in the future are now looking very intently at irrigated ground that's going on particularly in the in the greater Columbia basin area,” Olson continued.

 

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If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-9791, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com 

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