Whooshh Innovations’ Proposal for Fish Passage on the Lower Snake River
Whooshh Innovations, based in Washington State, manufactures innovative fish passage structures that safely move migratory fish through tubes over dams in seconds, rather than the hours or days required by conventional fish ladders. In response to recent multibillion dollar proposals to breach four dams on the lower Snake River, Whooshh has countered with a $67 […]
Volume 12 Issue 10 Nov/Dec Washington State Edition
Aquifer Rescue in Odessa By Kris Polly Since 2011, the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District (ECBID) has played a major role in implementing the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project (OGWRP), an initiative to build out the Columbia Basin Project to its full dimensions and bring surface water to the Odessa subarea, where groundwater pumping has […]
Volume 12 Issue 9 October Washington State Edition
Advancing Construction, Innovation, and Education By Kris Polly Many things come together to make irrigated agriculture possible: infrastructure, including dams, reservoirs, and canals; new inventions to promote safe water delivery; education for professionals; and governmental relations work to ensure that legislators understand what farmers need to be successful. The Washington State Potato Commission supports […]
Kurt Miller of Northwest RiverPartners: Educating the Public and Policymakers About Hydropower and Irrigation
Dams have the potential to serve many of society’s needs: clean energy, transportation, irrigation, and flood control. But dams and hydropower can also generate controversy regarding conservation and river temperatures, which is often inflamed by misinformation. This often can hinder efforts to integrate hydropower into the renewable energy economy now being required by federal and […]
Volume 12 Issue 8 September Washington State
The Many Benefits of the Northwest’s Dams By Kris Polly The irrigation water drawn from the Pacific Northwest’s dams is critical to the region’s valuable agricultural production. In this month’s cover interview, Kurt Miller of Northwest RiverPartners tells us about how his organization works to educate policymakers and the public about the benefits of […]
Volume 12 Issue 7 July/August Washington State
Measuring an Entire Basin The 1945 consent degree in the Yakima basin established a method of distributing water to a variety of classes of water rightholders. However, to do this, a measure of the total water supply available in the basin was required. Chris Lynch, the river operations engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation’s […]
Roger Sonnichsen of the Quincy–Columbia Basin Irrigation District
The Quincy–Columbia Basin Irrigation District (QCBID) is one of the three irrigation districts operating the Columbia Basin Project (CBP), which brings water resources to the Columbia basin. It serves about 250,000 acres, which grow over 45 crops. In this interview, QCBID Manager Roger Sonnichsen tells Irrigation Leader about QCBID’s current top issues and how it […]
Volume 12 Issue 6 June Washington State Edition
Experience and Vision By Kris Polly In this month’s Washington State edition, we speak with Roger Sonnichsen, the general manager of the Quincy– Columbia Basin Irrigation District (QCBID). Mr. Sonnichsen’s professional experience spans working for the state government, for Reclamation, and as a consultant for water resources planning, all of which has built his […]
Volume 12 Issue 5 May Washington State Edition
Toni Meacham: Wrangling Water Law in Washington By Kris Polly Toni Meacham is a highly respected ag and water attorney in central Washington State. She is also an active, fifth-generation rancher. Her personal and family background as well as her legal training gives her and insider’s knowledge of ag and water law, making her […]
Volume 12 Issue 4 April Washington State Edition
An Advocate for Washington Water and Hydropower Users By Kris Polly In this month’s Washington State edition of Irrigation Leader, I am pleased to present an interview of Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers carried out by Washington State Water Resources Association Executive Director Tom Myrum. In it, Tom asks Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers about her priorities […]