Document text
Drought cuts off 125 Applegate irrigators Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming Applegate farmer Tim Franklin stands at the Little Applegate River, which has dropped to a trickle. The drought has forced the Oregon Water Resources Department to cut irrigation water to landowners such as Franklin, who raises cut flowers. Heat could force further restrictions By DAMIAN MANN APPLEGATE - A heat wave that has aggravated drought conditions forced state officials Thursday to shut off irrigation water to about 125 properties along the Applegate River and tributaries. This brings to more than 300 the number of property owners who can no longer tap into rivers for their farms, ranches, gardens and lawns. But the worst is not over: State officials predict more properties may be affected by a drought that could soon rival 1977. "This is as bad as the worst year," said Bruce Sund, assistant regional manager for the Oregon Water Resources Department. Water flow into the Applegate dropped from 30 cubic feet per second to 23 during the current heat wave. If hot weather continues for more than two weeks and the flow drops to 12 cfs, Sund said another 200 properties in the Applegate area will have to go without irrigation water. Oregon's water-rights laws give priority to properties that have been using streams and rivers the longest - many of these rights date back to the 1800s. The latest restriction means that property owners who established water claims since 1955 can't take water from the river and its tributaries. "We may go back to 1901 in the next round of cutoffs," Sund said. Other streams, such as Williams and Evans creeks, have received restrictions that affect claims dating back to the 1800s. The water department has received more than 150 complaints from residents in the Applegate basin this summer about their neighbors who may not be heeding water rules. Though no one has been cited for taking water, Sund said that water resources officials have been warning some people to stop irrigating. "Some of them are pretty easy to spot," he said. "They're places you've shut off and they're still green." Occasionally, a property owner will try to be crafty to boost their supply of water. "Some of them are going out to rework the head of their ditch to get more water," he said. "We tell them they can't do that." In one case, Sund was denied access from a new property owner and was forced to obtain an administrative search warrant. Sund said some farmers realized the gravity of the drought early in the season and decided not to plant this year. Others, he said, have only been able to get one cutting of hay before calling it quits for the season. Though some property owners use irrigation water for lawns, Sund said this is permissible. "The law says that irrigation should be for a beneficial use," he said. "Lawns can be a beneficial use." Carl Offenbacher, who owns 40 acres in the Applegate area, said a lot of the farmers and ranchers knew it was going to be a tough water year. "A lot of people were prepared for it and planted the right crops," he said. Offenbacher, who hasn't been affected by the restrictions, just got his second cutting from 25 acres of alfalfa, which brings him about $10,000 to $12,000 a summer. "I flood irrigate," he said. "One irrigation lasts three weeks before I have to water again." A few of the 30 properties along the Offenbacher Rolloff Ditch could be affected by the latest water cutback, he said. Offenbacher said many in the "hobby farmer category" could be affected by the restrictions. Tim Franklin, of the Applegate Watershed Council, said his 87-acre parcel was shut off two weeks ago, restricting his ability to grow cut flowers. "Things are looking pretty dry now," he said. The Little Applegate River, he said, is barely flowing. "The only thing in that stream is irrigation return." Peter Salant, who irrigates 35 acres along the Little Applegate River for commercial cattle grazing for 4-H clubs and Future Farmers of America, said the Jackson County watermaster told him July 31 that he could no longer irrigate. "The fields are drying out," he said. Usually, Salant, who also sells wholesale food, buys hay by Nov. 1. "This is about three months earlier," he said. As a result, he expects to buy $7,000 worth of hay to tide him over this year. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.