February 2020 - 20

IRRIGATION & WATER MANAGEMENT
Impact Study of the issue, and a draft of
that document is set to be released in
February 2020.
" What's being written is the final
chapter in 27 years' litigation, " said
Darryll Olsen, a representative on the
board of the Columbia-Snake River
Irrigators Association. At the heart of
the litigation is the Columbia-Snake
River's " biological opinion " - operating
instructions provided to federal water
operators for protecting 13 salmon
and steelhead species listed under the
Endangered Species Act.
The state of Oregon and a variety
Columbia-Snake River litigation has
90,000-plus acres in balance
Washington vineyards and orchards served by the Columbia-Snake River. Photos: Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
Ongoing litigation over management
of the Columbia-Snake River stands to
affect a wide swathe of fruitful land in the
West - more than 90,000 acres, according
to one trade group.
At issue are dams on the lower Snake
River, which ecological groups want
removed because of fishery concerns.
Irrigators say irrigation and specialty
crop production could suffer a costly
disruption.
Litigation over the highly-contentious
issue has raged for more than two
decades, but the matter in 2020 is set
to draw nearer a resolution of some
kind. A public comment period ended
in December. Washington Gov. Jay
Inslee commissioned an Environmental
of ecological groups have repeatedly
fought the existing biologicial opinion
in court, Olsen said. In 2016, U.S.
Federal District Judge Michael Simon
vacated the current biological opinion,
accepting the argument made by
ecological groups that not enough was
being done to protect the salmon.
Native American nations and
ecological groups such as Save our Wild
Salmon and have been advocating for
removing the dams.
" Restoration of the lower Snake
River is urgently needed to avoid
extinction of several salmon and
steelhead populations and maintain and
enhance the many benefits these fish
deliver to people and ecosystems in the
Northwest and nation, " according to a
joint statement made in October by the
MODEL 912 MULCH
TRANSPLANTER
The Best Berry Plants
Since
The Leading
Small Fruit Nursery Today!
* Excellent Customer Service
* Wide Variety Selection
* Technical Support
* Complete Lab Facility for
Tissue Culture & Virus Indexing
* Sets plants through plastic mulch
* Water system available
* For cells or plugs up to 2-1/2 " in diameter
* No more setting plants in wet, cold mud by hand
* Twin row available for row spacing as close as 12 "
* Plant spacing starts at 10 " in the row
1150 CENTRAL AVENUE, HOLLAND, MI 49423
Phone: 800-757-5268 or Fax: 616-396-3619
website: www.mechanicaltransplanter.com
e-mail: mtc@mechanicaltransplanter.com
18 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
Strawberry
Raspberry
Blackberry
Blueberry
Currant
Gooseberry
Elderberry
Asparagus
Rhubarb
Nourse Farms
41 River Road
South Deerfield MA 01373
413.665.2658
noursefarms.com
info@noursefarms.com
1932
http://www.noursefarms.com http://www.mechanicaltransplanter.com http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com
February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2020
