Irrigation editorial slanted

Your June 4 Columbia Basin irrigation editorial disappointed me with its slant toward the Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association. The association’s litigation may delay water for all farmers; water authorized by Congress in 1943.

The East Irrigation District is working incrementally to develop about 87,700 acres, acres largely in the Odessa Ground Water Replacement Project under the Special Environmental Impact Study. Additional acreage would require another environmental study, a lengthy process at best. If the association gets water contracts for the acreage stated in your editorial of 10,000-14,000 acres, plus 70,000 acres; it basically would be the only developer.

I have received cost estimates from both CSRIA and EID on a per-acre, per-year basis. For our land, EID estimates $300 and CSRIA around $550-600 for our location five miles from the canal. The EID spreads the entire infrastructure costs for the 87,700 acres equally per acre while CSRIA bases costs on the distance from canal even though common lines are used. Can these two systems coexist efficiently? Because of the pricing techniques, landowners close to the canal would go private, with potentially parallel public lines needed to service lands more removed, increasing costs and reducing overall efficiency.

Roberta Hodgson

Spokane