OSU Research Looks At Irrigation’s Long-Term Impact

Researchers at Oregon State say they’ve created a way to predict when irrigating farmland makes groundwater resources unsustainable.  Professor Bill Jaeger said the 30-year model is for the Harney Basin in eastern Oregon.

“Five years ago, it was agreed that something had to be done, but there were differences of opinion of how broad the problem was, how much of a change in behavior, in terms of irrigated agriculture, needed to take place. And this model helps shed light on those things.”

Jaeger said he hopes the study will help influence future rules and decisions by Oregon Water Resources.

"Oregon water law and the rulemaking, the regulatory infrastructure in Oregon for groundwater, is not able to manage groundwater in a way that’s going to be responsive and adaptive.”

Jaeger added it’s difficult to know how quickly groundwater resources recharge in different areas, making it difficult to apply the same rules to every area in the state.

Click Here to read the entire study.

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