Water pipeline project moves forward
By Terry Murry on Friday, December 10th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WEST UMATILLA COUNTY – Umatilla County Commissioner John Shafer says the county’s Ordnance Project Team is moving forward with plans to draw water from the Columbia River to aid farmers and enhance industrial development once the Umatilla Chemical Weapons Depot land is turned over to the Columbia Development Authority.
Shafer said the oft-delayed turn-over of that land from the U.S. Army is now thought to be on tap for early in 2022. He said the Ordnance Project actually stems from the town of Ordnance on the depot.
“Back in the day, the depot had a town called Ordnance,” he said. “Underneath the depot is a huge aquifer, and ideally that’s going to be full of water. Unfortunately, over the years, people have drained the bathtub and it’s empty.”
The plan is to run pipe from the river to a recharge basin on the depot land around the intersection of Interstate 82 and Interstate 84, which is the area proposed for industrial development on the land.
“It’s going to be a huge piece for our region for future growth,” Shafer said. “It’s going to have the potential to put 45 cubic feet per second through the pipe.”
Recharging the aquifer isn’t the only benefit from the project. “We’re partnering with Westland Irrigation District and they’re going to be able to put more water on the crops and have a longer growing season,” he said.
