WASHINGTON — Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden
have announced a total of $3,052,940 in federal funding is headed to three
projects across the state to combat record drought conditions. The investments
are intended to safeguard local water supplies in response to extreme drought
and weather events.
East Fork Irrigation District in Hood River received
$2,000,000 for the Oanna & Yasui Sublateral Efficiency Project, said a
press release.
“East Fork Irrigation District, with the support of the Hood
River Watershed Group, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, Natural
Resources Conservation Service, and other agencies, is working to increase
instream flows in the East Fork Hood River and mainstem Hood River while at the
same time improving water reliability for EFID farmers and rural residents,”
said Steve Pappas, district manager of East Fork Irrigation District. “The
WaterSmart grant for the Oanna-Yasui pipeline project will help us achieve our
Irrigation Modernization Plan to improve the quality of our rivers, protect
habitat for threatened salmon and steelhead, and provide reliable irrigation
water for crop production.”
“Between record droughts and raging megafires, Oregon and
other Western states have been hit hard over the last couple of years,” said
Merkley.
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