I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY to attend a water conservation meeting at the Redmond City Hall. Regional leaders all came together to have an open discussion about our local obstacles, solutions, and opportunities. A topic of interest was the proposed implementation of removing Central Oregon’s above-ground irrigation channel system, and replacing it with an underground piping system. Although the idea of limiting evaporation and having more control over irrigation seems like a good solution, the removal of the above-ground channels would eliminate the unique feature’s function of refilling our aquifers and wells through water seepage. This is impactful especially for our local agriculture community, but it’s also very impactful to the wildlife of Central Oregon. For many years, a great number of species have depended on the vast water system, most species would be stifled and displaced with the removal of the channels. Some communities have expressed their concerns for the environmental impact and have launched their own campaigns against the project, such as Tumalo’s “Stop the Pipe” campaign, and the “Save Arnold Canal” campaign.
It’s meaningful to see our leaders coming together in open discussion to work towards solutions to this serious issue for Central Oregon. I feel honored to be part of a community that works collaboratively on these challenges and I look forward to having a seat at the table in these discussions to help bring innovation and creative solutions to issues such as this one.
To learn more about this piping project at large, visit Central Oregon Irrigation District’s website: https://coidpiping.com/.
CLICK HERE to read a great article from the Deschutes River Conservancy regarding wells drying up.
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