2021 Temporary Water Shut Off Update

 

At the August 10, 2021 North Unit Irrigation District Board Meeting the board set the 2021 temporary water shut off date and schedule as follows:  The district’s diversion at Wickiup will be shut down between August 18-20.  The last date that ditch riders will make water adjustments will be Friday, August 20, 2021.

 

The last date that district water users can place a water order is before 5:00 pm on Thursday, August 19, 2021 below Haystack or between 6:30 am and 7:30 am on Friday, August 20, 2021 for water users above Haystack. Deliveries running August 20-21 will be charged 24-hrs of water as a full delivery is expected, but no charge after that as the canal drains.

 

Water will remain running to those water users who have ordered water until the main canal has drained.  This will not apply to those on pipelines.  We would like to keep pipelines charged during this shutdown period.  Pipelines will be shut-off and locked Monday, August 23.

 

Expect the temporary shutdown to last until early October.

 

Please plan your operations accordingly.

As outline in this letter from General Manager Josh Bailey, sent out on July 7, 2021 (please contact the office if you wish to be added to our email list), the following adjustments will be implemented starting July 8, 2021.

In the Special Board Meeting held on July 6, 2021 at 2pm, the Board of Directors made the decision to allow growers to “bunch” their maximum orderable amount into fewer days. For all orders starting July 8, 2021, orders can be bunched into fewer days if called into the office by 3pm the day before. For those who wish to continue to order your 1.5% maximum each day, carry on as usual (below Haystack by 5pm the day before and above Haystack 7:30am the day of the order) for as long as there is water in the account.

How does this work? 

If you were only able 0.10 cfs across 7 days, this equates to 1.40 acre-feet within a Monday-Sunday week (remember 1cfs =~2 acre-feet). An example of bunching an order would be 0.70 cfs in ONE day, or 0.35 cfs in TWO days, etc. The bottom line being, that whatever you order cannot exceed 1.40 acre-feet in a 7-day period from Monday through Sunday.

However, special rules apply:

1. “Bunch” orders must be made through the main office by 3pm the day before! (Yes, that includes those ordering Above Haystack)
2. Patrons seeking to switch water orders among turnouts on the same day, especially across ditch rides, must call the office by 3pm the day before!
3. Patrons cannot exceed the total amount orderable within a week (defined as Monday-Sunday)
4. Ditchriders still do not work on Sundays. Saturday through Monday is a 48-hr run, patrons cannot turn on Saturday if a 48-hr run exceeds their weekly maximum.
5. If it is found that an order exceeds a patron’s limit, the turnout will be shut-off immediately, orders can be placed for Monday of the next week.

Dear North Unit Irrigation District Patrons,

 

It pains me to write this letter, as I am fully aware of the extremely difficult situation that we find ourselves in.  As you know, on June 21, 2021 the NUID Board of Directors was forced to reduce the allotment from 1.0 acre foot per acre (af/pa) down to 0.90 af/pa for Deschutes River water rights and from 0.50 af/pa down to 0.40 for Crooked River water rights.  By reducing the overall water allotment, the Board of Directors’ goal was to reduce the overall demand on the system and be able to equalize incoming versus outgoing water.  Unfortunately, after reducing the allotment, demand actually increased.

 

At current demand, Haystack Reservoir will reach dead pool (i.e., no storage capacity) in approximately 7 to 8 days.  At that point, NUID will not be able to meet current demand and will be forced to limit delivery rates.  Going forward, our options are very limited.  When you combine the inflow from our diversion in Bend, the small amount of water being made available to us from Central Oregon Irrigation District, the water we are pumping from the Crooked River, and the additional purchased water from the Deschutes Valley Water District, there is simply not enough water to meet demand, or maintain Haystack Reservoir.

 

With that as background, the NUID Board of Directors held an emergency meeting yesterday (6/30/21) to discuss options going forward.  The goal of the meeting was twofold:

1. Reduce the immediate demand on the system.
2. Extend the available water through the end of August.

 

The Board determined that a further reduction in the allotment by 0.10 af/pa (down to 0.80 af/pa Deschutes River and 0.30 af/pa Crooked River) and a cap of 1.5% order rate (calculated from available water after the allotment reduction) was necessary.

 

Here is an example of the order cap:

After the additional 0.10 reduction, let’s say you have 100 acre feet of your allotment remaining.  1.5% of 100 = 1.50 acre feet for 60 days.  1.50 acre feet divided by 2 = 0.75 CFS max orderable amount for 60 days. This 0.75 CFS can be divided among your turn-outs since the cap is imposed on the operator account.

 

The changes are scheduled to go into effect Saturday July 3, 2021.  We realize that this is far from perfect, but with the limited options, the Board determined it’s the best short-term solution that treats everyone equally.  Once Haystack is at a more stable level the Board will re-evaluate the situation and possibly remove the order cap.

 

The current situation changes moment by moment and NUID staff will be updating the Board of Directors as the situation continues to unfold.  I will aim to update district patrons as often as possible.

 

Please attend our Townhall meeting this evening, July 1st, at 6pm in the Mackie Conroy Meeting Room, Jefferson County Fairgrounds, where we will be available to address any of your questions and concerns.

 

 

Josh Bailey

General Manager

North Unit Irrigation District