The Franklin Conservation District is currenlty assisting landowners in Franklin County with applying for cost-share for Phase 1 of the Department of Ecology's Columbia River Water Metering Project. Phase 1 of this project includes the geogrpahic area from Priest Rapids Dam down to McNary Dam, and up the Snake River to Lower Monumental Dam. Metering and reporting must be done for all surface water withdrawals from the Snake and Columbia Rivers and ground water withdrawals within a one-mile corridor of those rivers.
Affected water right holders can apply for cost-share assistance to help defer the cost of the purchase and installation of meters to comply with this program. The Franklin Conservation District will disburse available cost-share funds on a first come first serve basis. Cost-share applications can be obtained by contacting the Conservation District office or by clicking on the link below. An "Evaluation Form for Selection of a Meter" must also accompany the cost-share application submittal.
The District has had water quality sampling projects ongoing since 1986. Several groups of surface water and groundwater sites have been regularly sampled during that time period.
All water quality samples are tested for nitrate-nitrogen (N03-N) concentrations. This data is reviewed regularly to look for changes and trends in nitrate concentration levels in groundwater in Franklin County.
A single set of over 50 surface and groundwater sites has been sampled twice-yearly (spring and fall) since the early 1990s. Sampling is done at a mix of sites, including canals, drains, the Columbia River, groundwater irrigation, and domestic drinking water wells. Comparisons are made of concentrations between spring and fall samples, and between years at the same sites.
Another set of groundwater wells was initially tested by the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) in 1986, then sampled every three to four years by the District. This group consists of groundwater wells only and is reviewed for trends each time a new group of results is received.
Water quality testing has shown the existence of elevated levels of nitrates in the groundwater in Franklin County. The timing and regularity of sampling provide excellent information on general locations and changes/trends of water quality in the county. The data is used as direction to develop and apply projects that work to reduce the amount of nitrates entering groundwater. Many programs have been developed that work directly with growers to assist them with reducing their impact on the soil and water resources.
Perennial Wheat Research Plots
Perennial wheat is being evaluated by the Franklin Conservation District to determine its effectiveness as a buffer in reducing sediment and nutrients from entering surface runoff and to prevent wind erosion on light soils in low rainfall areas. Perennial wheat is a new crop that is being developed by the Winter Wheat Breeding Program at Washington State University (WSU).
This project is being conducted with the cooperation of Chris Herron, Herron Bros. Partnership, Jim Moore, Farm Service Agency, Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Washington State University and is funded by a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology under their Centennial Clean Water Fund.
Project Description and Site Locations
Sediment runoff quantity and quality from fields is currently being evaluated at two sites in Franklin County and one site in Whitman County. This project is comparing erosion under three different cropping conditions: existing Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land, winter wheat followed by summer fallow with no perennial wheat buffers, and winter wheat/summer fallow rotations with a perennial wheat buffer. This project will run through Summer 2009.
The Franklin County sites are located at Chris Herron and Jim Moores’ farms. The Whitman County site is located at WSU’s Spillman Farm.
Perennial Wheat Plot: Left to Right – Fallow and wheat with perennial wheat buffer;
fallow and wheat with no buffer. CRP not shown.
Multiple Benefits
In the near future it is not anticipated that perennial wheat will replace annual varieties for an entire farm. Rather, it is hoped that if the most environmentally sensitive areas of a farm were planted to perennial wheat, then both the environment and the grower would benefit. Water quality would benefit from reduced sediment and nutrient loading. Air quality would see reduced PM10 emissions and growers would be able to harvest these buffers.
Final Project Report Now Available
The Washington State Department of Ecology funded an Irrigated Ag Loan program and Technical Assistance project through the Franklin Conservation District from September 2002 through May 2006. The goals of these programs were to provide low-interest loans and technical assistance for growers to convert irrigation systems from rill or hand-/wheel-line to more efficient center-pivot or drip systems, or to install other conservation practices to improve water quality. The FCD also compared continuous soil-moisture monitors for irrigation control and continued a well-sampling program (a 20 year program) to measure current conditions and long-term changes to groundwater nitrates. The results of these projects are located in the Final Project Report written by the FCD and can be obtained at our office as a hard copy or CD.
