04/26/07 Metering program for Columbia Basin irrigators

Washington Ag April 26, 2007 Some irrigators in the Columbia Basin will be getting informational packets in the mail from the Department of Ecology seeking their voluntary participation to install water meters. State lawmakers last year required Ecology to determine how much water is being diverted from the Columbia-Snake river system. . John Stuhlmiller with the Washington State Farm Bureau says they worked to make sure this was a voluntary program and he says there are some risks. Stuhlmiller: "There is some risk going in that you will expose a lack of use or an over use. If your right is 2 cfs but you have actually been putting on three, but you haven't been metering so you don't know that for a fact. Or you have been putting one and not two. Either way up or down you run a risk of relinquishment or curtailment of the amount you are applying, which is in accordance with the law but you may just be unaware of your over or under use. So there is some risk there but on the whole metering should not be a concern to folks if you do it. This is a voluntary program. That is you will get money to do the meter and you will then know what you are using." Water users in the first phase of the metering program have until July 31st to participate and take advantage of the grant money to buy water meters. I'm Bob Hoff.