Second C.O. irrigation district to shut off water

Some farmers experiencing hay shortage due to drought

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Arnold Irrigation District shut off its water supply at mid-month due to low Deschutes River water levels, and now the Lone Pine Irrigation District is next.

Richard Nelson, who owns a 10-acre farm east of Bend, told NewsChannel 21 on Monday he is worried about the impact the lack of water will have on his livestock.

“They reduced the amount we got per acre for a while, then we went to four days on, four days off, and I tried to manage the best I could with that,” Nelson said. “Finally, they just said, ‘We don’t have any water left -- period.'”

Jeremy Giffin, the Deschutes Basin watermaster, said they are planning to shut off water supply in the Lone Pine Irrigation District Wednesday morning. 

He said the natural flow is extremely low this year -- under 1,000 cubic feet per second, when it should be around 1,300 to 1,400 cfs at this time of the year.

“Due to the low snowpack and precipitation, coupled with the minimum requirements of the reservoirs due to the Oregon spotted frog, we’re seeing there’s not a lot of flow to the irrigation districts,” Giffin said. “In addition, there is not enough water in the storage accounts.”

After the spotted frog was listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, Central Oregon irrigation districts were faced with a lawsuit that led to limited water supply for farmers.

The Arnold Irrigation District plans to restore water supply by mid-September, but Nelson said that won't be much help, because less grass grows during that time.

Nelson said the lack of water has led to a 50% to 90% decrease in hay production. 

“My son does cutting for other people, and one of the people he cuts with last year at this time, the second cutting was 367 bales,” he said. “This year was 34.”

Nelson said he worries he will not have enough hay to feed his cattle, especially through the winter.

“We’ve had reductions in years past -- 'We’re going to reduce the amount you get per acre' -- and I can manage with that,” he said. “But it’s pretty hard to manage nothing. I don’t like animals to go hungry.”