USDA Water Conservation Funding

Othello, WA.- The East Columbia Basin Irrigation District (ECBID) is among 18 US irrigation districts selected to participate in a program and receive federal funding to help farmers continue commodity production while also conserving water across the West. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the investment of $400 million through the Western Water Framework, which will support irrigation districts and producers in using innovative water savings technologies and farming practices. In total, the funding is expected to conserve up to 50,000 acre-feet in water use across 250,000 acres of irrigated land in production.

In May, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation announced that it had staved off the immediate possibility of the Colorado River System’s reservoirs from falling to critically low elevations that would threaten water deliveries and power production. Due to record conservation investments as well as improved hydrology, Lake Mead levels today are the highest since May 2021. The Administration is now working to ensure sustainability and resilience by focusing on long-term water conservation in several basins across the west.

Selected irrigation districts and participating producers will commit to ensuring continued commodity production in the areas where water consumption is reduced. USDA is working to finalize agreements with the preliminarily selected districts, which will include the details of each individual district’s water-saving strategies, commodities to be produced, and specific budgets. Following the finalization of those awards, producers within the participating districts will work directly through their irrigation districts to participate. Once initiated by USDA, ECBID will provide additional information to landowners on the agreements and opportunities for enrollment.

“The USDA selected irrigation districts for participation based on several commodity production and water management-related criteria to maximize the ability to achieve program objectives, and we are thrilled to be included. We have always supported water conservation efforts and look forward to leveraging this funding to further support our landowners and producers. Once final details are provided by USDA, we’ll get to work with our landowners to begin enrollment in the program,” explained District Secretary-Manager Craig Simpson.

“Agricultural producers are the backbone of rural communities across the West and many of them are struggling under prolonged drought conditions,” Vilsack said. “USDA is taking an ‘all hands’ approach to help address this challenge, including these new partnerships with irrigation districts to support producers. We want to scale up the tools available to keep farmers farming, while also voluntarily conserving water and expanding markets for water-saving commodities.”

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

Located in central Washington State, the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District is the largest district in the state, with authorization to irrigate 472,000 acres. Currently, 169,000 acres are developed and managed by 4,500 landowners within the federal Columbia Basin Project. Additionally, the District is involved in the development of 87,000 acres associated with the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program (OGWRP). The District provides a reliable supply of water which irrigates cropland that produces food shipped domestically and internationally.