Tag Archives: irrigation

Eagle Valley SWCD

Eagle Valley SWCD

Eagle Creek Irrigation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eagle Valley pivot line

 

 

 

 

 

Eagle Valley intake

 

 

 

 

 

Eagle Creek Irrigation Project – Large OWEB Grant #220-5015

This irrigation project in the Eagle Valley SWCD partnered with NRCS to install one subsurface drip system, one 6-tower pivot, and two wheel lines, effectively converting 191 acres between two individual
landowners to a more efficient irrigation system. Before project install, irrigation water for these properties was diverted from Eagle Creek, a native fish-bearing stream, to an earthen ditch to be distributed via flood irrigation; tailwater runoff would return to the same system, carrying excess sediment, nutrients, debris and organic matter a short half mile before entering the Powder River and Brownlee Reservoir, further impacting water quality concerns in the watershed.
One powered, self-cleaning, screened headbox was installed in the ditch to provide gravity pressurized water to 2,100 feet of 12 inch mainline, 1,560 feet of 8 inch mainline, and 3,420 feet of 6 inch mainline that conveys water to the sprinkler and center pivot systems as well as the subsurface drip system. One 1,000 foot and one 640 foot wheel line were installed in the north and south west corners of the project site to irrigate acres that the pivot will not reach. Fourteen culvert crossings were installed and one power drop was completed as part of the project, as well as 1,700 feet of cable in conduit to provide power from an existing line. The completion of this irrigation system will provide an estimated water savings of 1.1 CFS, benefitting aquatic species and habitat in Eagle Creek while also eliminating irrigation tailwater from entering the Powder River Watershed.

For more information on Eagle Valley SWCD work:
Whitney M Collins, Baker County SWCD’s Districts Manager
Whitney Collins
541-519-2496 Cell
541-523-7121 X 109 Office

Baker Valley SWCD

Baker Valley pond pump

 

 

 

 

 

Baker Valley SWCD

Crop Circle Irrigation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crop Circle Irrigation Project – Large OWEB Grant #219-5001
Flood irrigation has been used in the Baker Valley for centuries as an effective method of distributing water. However, when applied to annual crops, the soil erosion rates can double, increasing sediment and organic matter inputs through tail water runoff returning to the streams. Sediment entering our fresh water rivers and streams increases the embeddedness of the channel, increases the pH level of the water and supports algae growth due to the high level of readily available nutrients, thus damaging habitat and impairing the survival of native aquatic species. Because so much flood irrigation runoff returns to surface receiving waters, the link between soil erosion and surface water contamination must be addressed.

This large-scale irrigation project improved 517 acres of previously flood irrigated ground through the installation of five center pivots (purchased and installed by the landowners as
project match); 9,440 feet of mainline; 5,728 feet of cable in conduit to provide three-phase power to the pivots; and one pumping station, installed in an existing irrigation pond at the project site, equipped with a debris screen. In addition to the center pivots’ capability to measure and provide the exact amount of water that can be held by the soil and used to support the crop being irrigated, thus eliminating irrigation runoff from entering the watershed, there is also a flow meter installed in the mainline to provide accurate water
measurements to each of the five pivots. Any unused irrigation water will now remain in the North Powder River for aquatic habitat and fish passage.

For more information on Baker Valley SWCD work:
Whitney M Collins, Baker County SWCD’s Districts Manager
Whitney Collins
541-519-2496 Cell
541-523-7121 X 109 Office