I’ve been dismayed to see recent complaints coming into the Bulletin from a handful of local critics publicly shaming water managers and farmers about taxpayer money being used to modernize Central Oregon irrigation delivery systems. You would think from these opinions that the leaders of local irrigation districts are on a rudderless ship, recklessly spending public money on projects that really aren’t that important.

That’s clearly not the case.

I’d like to share a little holiday cheer and give locals residents some reasons to have pride in Central Oregon water management efforts.

Most of the irrigation districts in the Deschutes River Basin are members of the organization I work for — Family Farm Alliance. Our organization has a proven track record of successful bipartisan engagement with federal policymakers on Western water matters that includes 98 invitations to appear before Congress since 2005.

We have this sound reputation, in part, because our members provide policymakers with real-world examples of innovative solutions that can serve as templates for use in other parts of the West.

The collaborative irrigation modernization efforts undertaken by our member irrigation districts in Central Oregon provide a deep well of such examples that we often draw from.

Farmers in the Deschutes Basin have been dealing with risks and uncertainties to their water supplies for years. Despite these challenges, local irrigation districts have cleared a path to progress that benefits the entire region. To date, Central Oregon irrigation districts have successfully implemented over $53 million in projects conserving over 12,000 acre-feet annually, ensuring more water for farmers, food and fish.

The districts are working together and with constructive conservation groups, local cities, and government agencies to balance the Deschutes so there is water for all river beneficiaries, including farms.

These efforts are being noticed by others in the West. Similar new irrigation modernization projects are already underway in the Klamath Basin, Washington State, and the Upper Colorado River Basin.

Still, there are critics in your own backyard wringing their hands over the cost of these projects and lamenting the “taxpayer” dollars that help support these projects.

Right now, the federal government is busy spending over $1.33 trillion included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and 2022 Inflation Reduction Act for national infrastructure, energy security and climate change actions. The dollars dedicated to the Bureau of Reclamation for water infrastructure projects total just $12.3 billion, or less than 1% of all the infrastructure funds.

Yes, taxpayer dollars are being spent right now on infrastructure – everywhere in the country. From our perspective, we’re happy to see some of those dollars go to valuable water and environmental projects in our own state.

The Alliance helped lead a coalition of over 220 Western organizations that drove the efforts to secure those BIL and IRA Western funding provisions. I can tell you from personal experience that the modernization projects already completed by Central Oregon districts were a huge selling point that helped us successfully demonstrate to Congress that funding more of these multibenefit projects would be a good national investment.

I was surprised to see one critic actually claim in The Bulletin that there is “no leadership” working to address the important issue of water right now in the basin.

This is simply not true. Central Oregon districts are seen by many – outside of a few local armchair quarterbacks, that is — as the poster child for the innovative work they are doing, work to improve the environment, protect water supplies and enhance the region’s economy.

We should be celebrating the hard work of your local districts and their partners for their efforts to apply this once-in-a-generation money in the Deschutes Basin.

The amazing progress that is happening and the leadership being shown on the Deschutes serves as a model for other Western communities to follow as they seek to do the same.

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