Newhouse Announces New Investments in Whitestone Reclamation District to Combat Drought
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) applauded the $900,000 in funding to help communities and agricultural producers in Okanogan County build drought resiliency and conserve water as part of the WaterSMART Initiative, a joint effort between the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). Through the WaterSMART Initiative, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides targeted Environmental Quality Incentives Program funding for farmers and ranchers, who work in tandem with irrigation districts, water districts and other organizations funded by the BOR. This funding was provided from FY21 appropriations, which Republicans approved in December of 2020.
"These grants are a major win for Central Washington. In the arid West, water is truly our most precious resource, and our local district managers and operators work around-the-clock to conserve and manage our limited supply," said Rep. Newhouse. "These grants – which are awarded as our district and many like it across the country face devastating drought conditions – will allow for necessary improvements and for our local water operators to continue to efficiently deliver water to our rural communities and producers."
Whitestone Reclamation District: The Whitestone Reclamation District (WRD) in Okanogan County, WA used two Reclamation WaterSMART grants to reduce water loss from seepage and evaporation by lining canals or replacing them with pipe which further allowed increased efficiency from pressurizing the system. The improvements resulted in saving at least 331 acre-feet of water per year from needing to be withdrawn from Toats Coulee Creek. The Okanogan Conservation District will work with the WRD using NRCS tools to measure and help monitor flow rates before and after the upgrades and estimate benefits to the fish, wildlife, and wetlands in the area. Outreach activities include efforts to reach Hispanic owners and or operators in the area. With additional NRCS assistance, more sections of the aging canal and other infrastructure may be lined, piped, or upgraded and farmers will be able to improve irrigation water management for fruit trees, hay, and pasture. In addition to the water savings and drought resiliency benefits, EQIP funds will help improve energy use efficiency and crop productivity and health.
Background:
Private land managers such as farmers and ranchers can leverage money and resources of irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water delivery authority in their community by coordinating their efforts to conserve and use water more efficiently; increasing the production of renewable energy; mitigating future water conflict in areas at a high risk; and other activities that contribute to water supply sustainability in the Western United States. Visit the WaterSMART webpage to learn more.
Through the WaterSMART Initiative, funds are allocated to targeted areas for eligible participants to enter contracts. Each WaterSMART Initiative project area is carrying out different phases of program delivery at the same time— funding, implementation and evaluation.
NRCS and Reclamation, the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power, have been coordinating EQIP and WaterSMART investments since 2011, the effort began as a pilot in California.
This federal collaboration works to provide states, Tribes, local water management entities, and water users alike with coordinated resources to plan and implement actions which balance water supply and demand through modernizing existing infrastructure, improving agricultural landscapes to conserve water resources and bringing attention to local water conflicts.
###