Aging infrastructure has provided the impetus for the North Unit Irrigation District modernization projects over the past several years. Along with modernization, the goal of the work is simple: save as much precious water as possible.
Overall, district canals lose about 37 percent of their flow to seepage. To capture what little water is available and deliver it to irrigators, NUID has undertaken numerous projects.
But it is difficult to grasp the scope of all the projects, all ranging from very early in planning states to being recently completed. Josh Bailey, general manager of the NUID, recently provided an update on their NUID Project Matrix. The following is adapted from the matrix:
1. Juniper Butte Canal Liner Project. Upstream from Haystack Reservoir, about 1.5-mile section of the main canal leaks as it curves around the butte. The canal bottom is roughly 45 feet wide at this point, so the most efficient method to stem the seepage is to line it. Preliminary engineering work has been completed and approvals are pending for work to begin in November 2024. The cost of this project is estimated at $700,000, of which the district has received grants to cover $666,000.
2. PL-566 Lateral 43 – Segment No. 1. PL-566 refers to Public Law 83-566 funding of the North Unit Infrastructure-Modernization Project. Piping lateral canal no. 43 is a four-year plan, broken down into segments to be completed each winter. The Madras Pioneer story from November 2023 reported the segment No.1 plan included piping 1.5 miles of open canal leading north from Haystack Reservoir, and ultimately 24 miles. Segment No. 1 was completed in time for water delivery on April 15. Cost on this segment using 66-inch pipe was $5-$6 million.
3. PL-566 Lateral 43 – Segment No.2. Mapping and design are complete for this section of canal No. 43, continuing north from Haystack. Engineering is in progress along with securing additional funding. If all approvals are received, work will begin in November 2024. This segment is budgeted at $15.25 million, using 63-inch piping and includes two sections of laterals.
4. PL-566 Lateral 43 – Segment No. 3. This section includes piping or lining another portion of lateral No. 43 canal, plus three offshoots, with an estimated cost of $12 million.
5. PL-566 Lateral 43 – Segment No. 4. The last section of this four-year project completes the canal piping on the northern end on this lateral, plus two offshoots. The estimated cost is $6.6 million.
6. Fish Screen Replacement. At the North Dam Diversion in Bend, where the NUID canal begins. The aging fish screen needs to be replaced to prevent young fish from entering the canal. Although this screen was proposed years ago, the project was postponed for funding. Partial funding grants have since been obtained, and additional funding of $3.5 million is being sought to finalize the project. The project would take place in 2025-2026.
7. Redmond Hydro Facility. The design and engineering are in progress and paid for by grant funds. An application has been submitted to construct the facilities. This unit would provide power to the Redmond airport while the canal is in operation. Any excess power would be sold back to the grid.
8. Lake Billy Chinook pumping station. This project is designed to pump water from the lake up to the canal system. An appraisal study is in the final phase, and a feasibility study is beginning. This project will be years in the planning but could bring much needed water to district farmers if the project is approved and funding is obtained. The district is currently seeking funds from the Bureau of Reclamation. A preliminary project design plan identifies two possible pumping sites. Each optional site would require pump installations, pipelines to deliver water to the main canal, and discharge accommodations into the main canal. The benefits of this project will reduce diversions from the existing Crooked River pump station and increase instream flows for fish and other sensitive and threatened species upstream of the lake. Preliminary estimates show the project cost to be upwards of $400 million.
9. Ditch Rider House Replacement. The district owns and maintains 19 houses as living quarters for the ditch riders along the canal routes. The houses were built in the 1940s.
10. 58-3-2 Pipeline. Additional funding is needed to complete this half-mile section of the lateral canal.
11. Main Canal Hydro/Solar Project. NUID was awarded $2.55 million to develop floating solar on a section of the canal between Bend and Redmond. The project is planned for 2025-2026.
12. Cloud Seeding Project. On April 17, 2024, NUID received a $76,000 grant commitment to research cloud seeding potential for Central Oregon. The staff is researching funding for a 50% match requirement.
13. Main Canal Automation Grant for Gate 58. Complete.
14. 45-2 Siphon Replacement. Ninety-nine percent complete on this lateral canal.
15. NUID/JC Economic Study. This was completed and given at the JC Farm Fair in February 2024.
The North Unit Irrigation District maintains 65 miles of main canal from the diversion dam in Bend to the end of the line on the north end of the Agency Plains, plus 235 miles of lateral canals. Together, the system delivers water to over 952 farms and ranches comprising nearly 60,000 acres in the district. It is the largest irrigation district in Central Oregon, and the second largest in the state. As the junior water rights holder in the basin, the NUID aggressively pursues innovative conservation practices to make the most of its limited water supplies.
Through its planning and initiative-taking projects, the district has been able to take advantage of federal and state funding for many of their projects. Per Bailey, having projects that are shovel-ready can be key to receiving funding.
Other benefits come through the Deschutes Basin Board of Control, of which NUID is a member, and shares resources and management of assets to conserve water, improve their services for farm and ranch families and enhance river conditions for salmon, steelhead, other fish, and wildlife species, and enhance recreational opportunities. Modernization and conservation projects such as canal piping in other districts have also helped provide more water deliveries to the North Unit.
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