East Fork issues conservation notice

HOOD RIVER CO. — East Fork Irrigation District urged patrons to scale back their water consumption to 70% of normal use last Friday, July 31.

The district oversees just over 10,000 irrigable acres, beginning north of Odell and spanning both sides of Highway 35 through Pine Grove, nearly reaching the interstate, and has an agreement with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to keep flows at its sole diversion above 27 cubic feet per second (cfs).

The evening prior, however, measurements only came in at 26 cfs. The river was running at 58.6 cfs a week earlier.

“This drastic decline is attributed to an ultra-low snowpack this year, leading to record-low river levels,” reads a notice from the district’s Facebook page. “To prevent mandatory reductions in our diversion, we need immediate action. If we do not collectively reduce our water usage, we risk facing low pressure and potentially no water supply.”

This past winter was Oregon’s warmest since data collection began in 1895, as previously reported by Columbia Gorge News. While precipitation levels weren’t that meager (remember the two atmospheric river events that swept through the Gorge in December), what came fell more often as rain than snow, inhibiting a storage cycle that typically carries the basin through summer.

Back in early June, District Manager Steve Pappas was optimistic about avoiding major water restrictions, primarily because of the district’s piping progress. By reducing opportunities for evaporation and eliminating end spills, Pappas estimated that an extra 2.7 billion gallons of water will flow down the East Fork every year once piping is complete. Work on the final section is slated to begin in fall 2027.

East Fork requested that orchards running 10 lines scale it back to six or seven, and that users make do with one sprinkler in their yard instead of three in the Facebook announcement.

Across the valley, Farmers Irrigation District required patrons within the upper and furthest west part of its area to use only 75% of their water right beginning on June 12. The same order came down for customers in the middle section, including Oak Grove and part of Country Club Road, on July 6.

Other effective conservation measures include allowing your lawn to go dormant, watering based on soil moisture and only what’s needed for crops, utilizing microsprinklers, checking your systems for leaks or breaks and manually scrubbing filters rather than flushing them.

Columbia Gorge News was unable to confirm whether Middle Fork Irrigation District had implemented any water use restrictions prior to press deadline on Monday morning.