Winter 2016 Newsletter Of
The Rogue River Valley Irrigation District
Mission
The mission of the Rogue River Valley Irrigation District is to deliver water equitably and efficiently with the least amount of cost to its water users, keeping in mind the need for long range planning and environmental impact.
From All Of Us At RRVID
As 2016 comes to a close, we wish all of our water patrons and their families happy holidays! May 2017 bring you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
RRVID would like to acknowledge the passing on June 25, 2016 of our long time Board Member Richard “Dick” Phillip Dunn.
Dick Dunn passed away after a day of doing many of the things he loved in life. He worked in his garden all morning, bailed 10 acres of hay in the afternoon, went irrigating in the early evening, watched college baseball, went to bed and passed peacefully in his sleep. Dick actively served on RRVID’s board for 23 years. Our District will miss him and his contributions to the District throughout his years of service.
We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Dick Dunn.
Letter From The Manager
It was nice to have water again for the 2016 irrigation season. As you are all aware, the previous years were drought conditions and it was a struggle for the district, but with patron involvement and our dedicated staff, we were able to get through it. Let’s all hope that 2017 will put snow in the mountains with lots of moisture.
We have been busy putting pipe in the ground. The district has been able to receive grant funding, mostly through BOR. We have installed 480’ of 24” pipe on the Coker Butte Lateral. We are currently installing 900’ of 24” pipe on the Whetstone Lateral. We are also working with ODOT on the Hwy 62 bypass. ODOT funded the relocation of 1250’ of district lateral and put it in pipe. As you will read in the newsletter, we are also working to partner with JSWCD to do more piping of the main canal off of HWY 140 and hopefully convert some lands that are now being flood irrigated to a sprinkler irrigation system.
RRVID is still in the process of working our way through the Klamath Adjudication process. We are trying to keep the water that comes out of Fourmile Reservoir to continue to come to the Rogue Valley. This has been and will continue to be a long and expensive process but it is vital to continue to operate the way that we have for over 100 years. I would like to thank you, the water patron, for the support that you have given RRVID as we struggle to keep the water flowing to your lands and to the Rogue Valley. I don’t know that there will ever be an end to the outside interests trying to get our water, but we will continue to protect what we have—in the best way we can!
RRVID would like to also welcome Gerald May to our Board of Directors. Gerald served for several years on the Budget Committee and has a working knowledge of our district. I would also like to thank our Budget Committee members, Barry Hoffman, Orville Eary and David Wolff for taking the time to help set a budget for 2017.
Even with the many challenges that are facing the district, with patron cooperation, I am optimistic that we will have a productive 2017 irrigation season.
Board Meetings (to be announced)
2017 monthly board meeting dates and times will be decided after January 1st. Please check our website www.rrvid.org for the dates and time. Our board meetings are open to the public. Please notify our office in advance if you wish to attend a meeting.
Canal & Road Maintenance and Right -of -Ways
Maintenance season is underway at RRVID. Please remember to remove all debris, obstacles, pipelines, bridges, walk boards etc., in anticipation of our equipment coming your way during maintenance season. Landowners who own property along the main canal are well aware of the maintenance that has to take place on a regular basis. Each Fall, after the water has been shut off, the silt and vegetation needs to be removed from the canal. RRVID typically puts this material back across the canal road or uses it to level the road from damages caused by human and animal traffic during the Spring. RRVID’s easements and right-of-ways are for District access and operation and maintenance only. They are not public right-of-ways. Entrance onto their easements and right-of-ways may constitute trespassing on the underlying landowner’s property. RRVID does the mowing of the canal banks during Fall and Spring. RRVID uses flail mowers that mount onto our tractor to mow blackberries and brush along our right-of-ways. We request that our water users please limit the use of the canal ditch roads during off -season. Using these roads in the off-season can cause damage to the ditch roads and makes more work for our maintenance crew. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Rogue River Valley Irrigation District’s No Spray Agreement
If you are a land owner and would like to request that no chemicals are used to control plant growth on the District’s right-of -way on your property, please call our office. Additionally, please contact our office annually to ensure that we have you on our “NO SPRAY” list. To guarantee that we have the proper time to notify our Ditch Riders please always call our office before February 1st.
Important!! Reclamation Reform Act (RRA)
ANY LAND OWNER WHO OWNS AND/OR LEASES IRRIGATED LAND TOTALLING 40.1 ACRES OR MORE MUST ANNUALLY (OR MORE OFTEN) FILE RRA FORMS WITH THE DISTRICT OFFICE PRIOR TO RECEIVING IRRIGATION WATER.
The Bureau of Reclamation requires that RRA forms be on file prior to any water being delivered to the property of owners who own and/or lease irrigated land totaling 40.1 acres or more. If your landholdings change in any way during the irritation season, which includes moving your property into a trust or the passing of one or more of the property owners, it is imperative that you contact the District office to update your RRA forms.
The District makes every effort to help landowners comply with the RRA regulations, but it is absolutely the landowner’s responsibility to understand the law and make sure that the correct forms are filled out and on file. Please remember when you make any changes in your landholdings that put you at 40.1 acres or more owned and/or leased, to contact the District office for the necessary RRA forms. If a landowner changes their ownership in any way, during the irrigation season and receives water without a new form on file, the landowner will be fined by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Note From The Accounting Department
The district operates on a calendar year which begins on January 1st and ends on December 31st. Annual assessments are mailed by the 2nd week of January. Please pay your bill in a timely manner so when water season begins you will have uninterrupted water service. Interest begins accruing March 1st on all unpaid balances. Patrons who pay their bill in full after March 1st, will still have a balance owing because of interest. For all accounts that have not paid in full OR have a signed 2017 payment agreement form on file, a $25.00 late fee will be added to your account April 1st. If the bill for 2017 is not paid in full by July 15th and you do not have a signed payment agreement on file with our office for 2017, then the District will file a lien on the property for all unpaid irrigation fees, plus interest and a Lien Fee in the amount of $223.00 will be added to the account. To avoid a Lien on your property please have your bill paid in full by March 1st or have a signed 2017 payment agreement on file with us.
Payment agreements can be done in our office, by email or by fax. Payments can be made by cash or check. We do not accept credit/debit cards or any form of payment over the phone. You can mail your payment, use the afterhours mail slot on our front door or you can come into the office during business hours. Monday thru Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Please remember it is the water patron’s responsibility to update the district office of any change of mailing address.
Announcements
- RRVID Board: We would like to welcome long time water patron Gerald May to serve on our board. Gerald will be serving as Director.
- RRVID Budget Committee: We would also like to welcome and thank our long time water patron David Wolff . David will be serving on our budget committee.
- RRVID 2017 rate increases: Per Acre Rate $64.66 . Account Fee $154.50. Manufacturing Water Right, charged by the Acre Foot $63.34. Lien Fee $223. Quit Claim Fee $423.00 + EWRP balance + Inclusion Balance. Temporary Transfer Fee $50.00. Mapping Fee/per map $60.00. All other fees will remain the same for 2017. For a view of our complete 2017 Fee Schedule please visit our website www.rrvid.org
RRVID Receives Grant For Piping Project!
The Board of Directors and Management of Rogue River Valley Irrigation District are pleased to announce that we have entered into a grant agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation to pipe an approximately 1.2 mile section of the Hopkins Canal from near Spring Creek down towards Antelope Creek. This piping project will provide significant reductions in water loss that is currently occurring in the canal as well as from the two old flumes built in 1957 that are located in that section of canal. We have had the Jackson County Watermaster take flow measurements over the course of the 2016 irrigation season which indicates that we will have more water to deliver to our patrons in future years as a result of this piping project. This project is fully funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and will result in no financial burden to the patrons of RRVID. This project will be a major upgrade in the facilities of the District, especially the replacement of the old flumes that are past their design life with new underground siphons. Construction on this project is not expected to start until the end of the 2017 irrigation season. RRVID is also looking into obtaining additional grant funding for a connected canal piping project that would extend pipe about two miles further up Hopkins Canal to Bradshaw Drop which would allow us to provide pressurized water to our patrons along those piped sections of the current Hopkins Canal. This would make conversions of flood to sprinkle irrigation methods much more financially feasible for our patrons. We will also be looking for grant funding that would provide cost shares for our patrons who want to make that conversion to sprinkle irrigation. If a pressurized piping system does occur, the District would expect to be able to provide water on demand instead of the current two week water rotation for any patrons who chose to convert to a sprinkle irrigation system. We are partnering with the Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District (JSWCD) as we look at opportunities for our patrons to receive assistance in converting from flood to sprinkle irrigation systems. You can call JSWCD at 541-423-6165 for more information. There is also the possibility of adding a micro-hydroelectric generation unit to this project which would further enhance the financial benefit to the District and its patrons. We plan on scheduling some informational meetings later this year to present more details about this project. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions for the District concerning this project, please contact Brian Hampson, District Manager of RRVID at the District office.
We are excited about the benefits this project will have for our District and its patrons.
Frequently Asked Questions About Your Water Right
Are you coming up on the five year non-use rule? Do you have more acreage than you have a water right for? Do you know someone who would like to use your water for a season? Would you like to put your water somewhere else? If you answered yes to any of these questions, RRVID can now help you! Rogue River Valley Irrigation District was recently chosen to participate in the Oregon Water Resource Department District Temporary Transfer Pilot Project.
This pilot project allows a water patron within the District boundaries to temporarily move their water right onto a portion of their land that currently does not have a water right or onto a completely different tax lot. The tax lot you would like to temporarily move the water right to, does not need to be owned by the water patron. The temporary transfer of water right will last for one season but you may apply for more than one season. If you think this pilot project may work for you or if you have further questions about this pilot project, please call the office for more information about the program.
Klamath Basin Adjudication
The Klamath Basin Adjudication is still on-going requiring numerous hours of work on behalf of the RBWUCI legal counsel to find a resolution to contested water right issues. Now that the Adjudication process is in the court system in Klamath County it is anticipated that it is going to be a very long drawn out process considering the numerous parties involved in the resolution process. We anticipated that the legal fees involved to get resolution to contested water rights will continue to be very expensive.
RRVID Website
Please remember to look at our website for information and updates throughout the year. We will post important information such as the beginning and ending dates of the water season, BOR Teacup Diagram etc. To view our website, go to: www.rrvid.org
