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CLEAR Temp: 80 °F Wind: NW at 6 mph Wednesday, June 25, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 11, 2002 Valley piping system proposed to help water supply, environment Piped water would be more efficient and would keep it out of natural streams By VICKIE ALDOUS for the Mail Tribune Rogue Valley farmers would have a more secure water supply while the health of local streams would improve under a new proposal for irrigation. The Little Butte/Bear Creek Water Management Project Steering Committee advocates installing a vast piping system to irrigate the valley. The system would replace more than 200 miles of main canals, which lose 10 to 33 percent of the water they carry through evaporation and seepage into the ground. The proposal also calls for increasing water storage, most likely by expanding Agate Reservoir north of Medford and Howard Prairie Reservoir east of Ashland. To further increase the water supply, treated effluent from the Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility, at the Rogue River north of Medford, could be used for irrigation. "This is probably one of the most ambitious water-resource projects I’ve seen," said Eric Dittmer, a Southern Oregon University geology professor who worked for the Rogue Valley Council of Governments on water issues for 13 years. The project’s cost could exceed $52 million. "We’re looking at federal government support," he said. Dittmer will lead a public forum at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Smullin Health Education Center on the Rogue Valley Medical Center campus, 2825 E. Barnett Road. The Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility would pay for pumping treated effluent into the irrigation system. Because new rules will require effluent emptied into the Rogue River to be cooled to near the river’s temperature, Dittmer said, the irrigation plan would be a less expensive option for disposing of treated effluent. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will conduct a feasibility study and prepare an environmental impact statement on the proposal. With approval and funding, groundbreaking could begin in 2006, according to Little Butte/Bear Creek Water Management project manager Steve Mason. Despite the high cost, Dittmer said the proposal will help ensure a stable water source and help the environment. Currently, Rogue Valley irrigators get one-third of their water from the Klamath River Basin, he said. The Green Springs summit marks the dividing line between the Klamath River Basin and the Rogue River Basin. Hyatt and Howard Prairie reservoirs, and their feeder streams, fall on the Klamath side but serve the Rogue Valley. Water use in the Klamath River Basin has become a controversial issue garnering national attention as farmers, fishermen, American Indians and others fight over reserving water for agriculture or fish. "As issues get hot in Klamath County, there’s more of a push to see that water stay there," Dittmer said. "I don’t think the chances of that are very good, but it’s causing all of us water managers to talk together about how to better use water. One of the ways is to transport the water more efficiently." Piping would have numerous benefits, he said. Environmental groups have filed lawsuits to ban the use of chemicals that kill moss in canals. Enclosing the water supply would stop the plant growth. Piped, pressurized water would be better suited for efficient sprinkler systems rather than wasteful flood irrigation, according to Dittmer. Carrying water in pipes also would keep it out of natural streams, which are separated from canals by gates but sometimes are used to transport irrigation water, he said. "That water may have been used many times by irrigators. It has higher levels of nutrients, fecal bacteria and sediment," Dittmer said. "If we can keep the irrigation water separate, the creeks will be healthier." While keeping irrigation water out of streams could reduce flows, by law 25 percent of water saved through irrigation improvements must be allocated for streams, and less water would be diverted in the first place, he said. Vickie Aldous is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. 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