PORTLAND — The decades-long tug-of-war between farmers and environmentalists in Eastern Oregon’s Umatilla Basin eased Friday when they, along with tribal interests and government regulators, agreed to a “declaration of cooperation” on a handful of projects to increase irrigation water without hurting endangered salmon.
The deal signed Friday by Gov. John Kitzhaber and members of a taskforce comprising competing interest groups includes water storage projects that could divert more Columbia River water in the winter, which is less detrimental to fish than spring and summer withdrawals.
“There is a path forward that allows us to find solutions that balance both in-stream and out-of-stream uses of water,” Kitzhaber said.
The rich farmland of the Umatilla Basin produces peas, potatoes, wheat, watermelon and other crops. Potentially valuable acres are left unused, however, because of insufficient water. The nearby Columbia River tempts farmers with water they can’t use because it’s targeted for hydroelectric power and salmon.