Sen Merkley visits Medford/Rogue River irrigation projects he helped fund

by Christina Giardinelli

Fri, May 13th 2022 at 6:41 PM

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — Sen Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) visited with representatives from Medford and Rogue River Valley Irrigation Districts today to discuss a canal modernization project for which he helped appropriate $5million dollars.
"I'm really happy to get out of D.C. and actually talk to people in the field," Merkley told a small group of irrigation and water conservation experts and a handful of media members. "An advantage of sitting on the appropriations committee is that I can go to all of the chairs of the other subcommittees, like chairs of the interior subcommittee and lobby for projects all over Oregon."

Part of that lobbying included appropriations for community-initiated projects or projects that various government or non-profit organizations can request. Merkley pointed out that he, along with Sen Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) advocated for about 1% of this year's federal spending bill (Omnibus Bill) to go towards those types of projects.
"Back in D.C. they call this Congressionally Directed, that is the wrong term,this is about projects you all want to do, that you initiate that you bring to the attention of my team," he said.
The group took a site visit to a three-mile section of theHopkins Canal Pipeline (part of the Rogue River Valley Irrigation District) that upgraded from an open canal system to a pressurized piped system thanks to a Bureau of Reclamation grant. The project exemplifies the Joint System Canal Piping Project that would benefit both Rogue River Valley and Medford Irrigators.
The goal of the project is to pipe 13.6 miles of a joint canal that delivers water to both districts. It's estimated to save up to 2,598 acre-feet of water currently lost through evaporation and leaks in districts' antiquated open ditch system.
The total cost of the project is estimated somewhere in the neighborhood of $56.2 million but irrigation district representatives explained that the estimate is based on current material costs and does not account for inflation.
Districts say the $5 million that Merkley helped appropriate will go towards getting started on the first phase of the modernization plan.
When asked what type of support was being given to districts to help them take advantage of federal infrastructure funds, Merkley noted that districts in Central Oregon have been appropriating federal funds to modernize their irrigation canals for about five years now and that the effects have snowballed to Southern Oregon.
"These irrigation districts have been watching what is happening in central Oregon where they got watershed planning done in the past and were the first recipients of these federal grants to be able to do these types of piped irrigation projects," he said pointing out that the effects have snowballed. "Now they (Rogue River Valley) have done a section themselves (the three-mile section) they are planning for this next 13 miles (Joint system)."
Jackson County's Irrigation Districts have been working with the Farmers Conservation Alliance (a non-profit dedicated to farming resources), the Jackson County Water and Soil Conservation District and the Oregon Water Resources Congress to make a watershed plan that will allow them to apply for federal infrastructure grants to modernize.

 SEE THE NEWS BROADCAST HERE: https://ktvl.com/news/local/sen-merkley-visits-medfordrogue-river-irrigation-projects-he-helped-fund-spendingbill-omnibusbill-wyden-ussenate-appropriationscommittee-federalspending-irrigators-infrastructure-farmers-drought