News Release Archive

Horsefly Irrigation District aims to convert open canal with help of WaterSMART grant funds

Media Contact: Erin Curtis, 916-978-5100, eccurtis@usbr.gov

For Release: August 18, 2017

Open irrigation canal in Klamath County, OregonKLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded the Horsefly Irrigation District a WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant to assist with converting approximately 1.68 miles of open canal to subterranean piping. Reclamation has released a Draft Environmental Assessment to disclose potential environmental effects and solicit public comment on the proposed project, which must be completed before construction can begin.

The project, located in Klamath County, Oregon, will eliminate seepage and evaporation losses in those sections and is anticipated to result in water savings of roughly 700 acre-feet per year. Conserved water would remain in the Lost River system for instream benefits and downstream users.

Through the WaterSMART program, Reclamation provides cost-shared funding on a competitive basis for projects that seek to conserve and use water more efficiently, increase the use of renewable energy and protect endangered species or facilitate water markets. For more on WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants, please visit http://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/weeg/index.html.

The draft EA was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and is available at https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?project_ID=29761. If you encounter problems accessing the documents, please call 916-978-5100 or email mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.

The draft EA will be available for public comment for two weeks. Physical copies will be available for review at the Bonanza Library, Horsefly Irrigation District Office, and Reclamation’s Klamath Basin Area Office. Written comments must be received by close of business Sept. 1.

Please send comments to Brandon Kirk Young, Bureau of Reclamation, 6600 Washburn Way, Klamath Falls, OR 97603 or to byoung@usbr.gov. For additional information or to request a copy of the document, please contact Young at 541-880-2589 or byoung@usbr.gov.

# # #

The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.