Irrigation water supplies; funding research techs

Washington Ag Today May 8, 2009 The Bureau of Reclamation's May forecast for the Yakima Basin is for a slightly above normal water supply. As of May 1st, system storage was 87 percent full and 118 percent of average. So, at this time both junior and senior water rights holders are expected to receive their full water supply. It is a different story in North Central Washington where the Department of Ecology says that because of low stream flows irrigation diversions from several rivers are being regulated earlier in the season this year than during normal water years. That includes the Okanogan River where irrigators had to begin calling the River Flow Information Line this week to see if the river was open or closed to water diversions. Ecology says water users on the Methow and Wenatchee rivers may also be advised to shut off their water earlier than normal. Users will be informed by mail when they will be regulated. Researchers at Washington State University will get less state funds for their technical assistants under the university's proposed budget for the next biennium. Dan Bernardo, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, explains what that means. Bernardo: "One net effect of this is that we will be dependent upon our partners in the commodity commissions, etc., to help us fund our technicians to a larger degree. Even with the proposed reductions, Dean Bernardo says state support for techs at WSU is much more robust than at some other well known ag schools. I'm Bob Hoff and that's Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network.