SALEM â The 2021 irrigation season is shaping up to be a tale of two Oregons.
River basins in the northern part of the state are in comparatively good shape, with snowpack at or above normal from Mount Hood to the Wallowa Mountains, according to the latest outlook from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Southern Oregon, however, is another story.
Exceptionally dry weather has pushed the region deeper into drought, threatening water supplies for both farms and fish. Local irrigation districts, facing all-but-certain shortages, are doing what they can to stretch what little water they have stored in lakes and reservoirs.
Rep. Cliff Bentz named to House panel on water, oceans, wildlife
KTVZ file
Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore.
ONTARIO, Ore. (KTVZ) Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., on Wednesday was named the Ranking Member on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
This places Oregon’s freshman Republican congressman front and center on matters concerning America’s water resources, federal irrigation projects, hydroelectric power, interstate water issues and fisheries management.
“I am honored to serve as the leading Republican voice on the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, and I thank the Committee’s Ranking Member, Bruce Westerman, for this opportunity,” Bentz said in a news release from his office, which continues below:.
SALEM — A proposed 17% fee increase on water transactions and dam inspections has raised concerns about increasing the economic burden on Oregon farmers during the coronavirus pandemic.