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The U.S. Department of Interior announced Friday a $37.
4 million investment for three projects in Central Oregon to increase water conservation through canal piping projects. The three projects, which involve Tumalo, Ochoco and Central Oregon irrigation districts, are planned to conserve 5,000 acre-feet of water annually by piping open canals. The funds are made available through President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
The funding includes: • $8 million for Ochoco Irrigation District to convert more than 8 miles of open canal to buried pipe, conserving water for the Crooked River. Ochoco Irrigation general manager Bruce Scanlon says the project improves efficiency and will conserve 4.8 cubic feet of water per second.
• $21 million for Central Oregon Irrigation District’s project to convert more than 2 miles of open canal to large diameter pipe to conserve Deschutes River water. • $8.4 million for Tumalo Irrigation District to convert more than 10 miles of open canal to buried pipe and construct 82 turnouts (points of delivery for landowners where water is measured).
Tumalo Irrigation District general manager Chris Schull said the project will conserve 625 acre-feet of water annually for Tumalo Creek and Crescent Lake. The projects are designed to conserve water by shutting down some sections of open canals, which seep large amounts of water into the earth through cracks in the volcanic rock bed of the canals. The Inflation Reduction Act specifically invests in projects that fight climate change or support clean energy.
The Biden administration says piping canals in Central Oregon will mitigate the worst impacts of climate change in a region hit hard by drought in recent years. The Bureau of Reclamation has announced more than $3.2 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act for 223 drought mitigation projects, 39 domestic water supply projects, seven emergency relief projects for tribal communities and four canal improvement projects.
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