Oregon counties seek groundwater storage
Tuesday, September 9, 2008 11:45 AM PDT
LA GRANDE (AP) — The high and dry areas of Eastern Oregon do get plenty wet during late winter and spring, and Union and Wallowa counties want to find a way to capture some of that extra water for summer.
The Grande Ronde Model Watershed works on stream restoration and water issues in both counties, which are along the winter path of the jet stream that funnels Pacific Ocean storms up the Columbia River.
But the jet stream migrates north in the summer, so creeks and rivers gorged with snowmelt in the early spring are often low or even dry by late summer.
The watershed board has applied for money from the Oregon Water Resources Department to conduct a feasibility study on groundwater storage possibilities. The study would also look at surface water, water quality and rights, and other issues.
The money would come from $1.75 million the Legislature approved for studies of water storage, reuse and conservation.
Jeff Oveson, executive director of the watershed group, estimates the study would likely last two years and cost about $50,000 per drainage basin, four of which were mentioned in the application. A planning study would have to look at underground geology, he said.
Dams and reservoirs are a common approach to storing water, but officials in the Eastern Oregon group are looking at methods called aquifer storage and recovery, and artificial recharge Both methods would store water in aquifers, underground reservoirs, either letting it seep in, or using wells, shafts or pits to inject it.
‘‘This type of work is being done in a lot of different places,’’ said Steve McClure, a Union County commissioner and member of the watershed group’s board. ‘‘I think it’s about time we looked at it out here.’’
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Information from La Grande Observer, www.lagrandeobserver.com/
On the Net: http://water.oregonstate.edu/asr .
