Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Resources Groundwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Morrow County revisits Lower Willow Creek recharge feasibility funding, approves $20,000
Summary
After debate over whether county funds would subsidize private benefit, commissioners rescinded an earlier conditional funding decision and approved $20,000 to support a feasibility study for Lower Willow Creek groundwater recharge.
The Morrow County Board of Commissioners voted to rescind a September 4, 2024 funding condition and then approved a $20,000 county contribution toward a feasibility study for the Lower Willow Creek Groundwater Recharge Project.
County staff said the project area has water rights already allocated — roughly 5,640 acre-feet available to holders between the confluence of Ray Creek and the Columbia River — and that the feasibility study would help determine how to use that resource across about 1,692 irrigated acres in Morrow County (plus about 480 acres in neighboring Gilliam County). Project representatives Kevin Payne and Kip Cribb told the board landowners intend to participate financially and that some matching funds had been expected from landowners but were delayed.
Commissioners debated whether taxpayer funds should support a project that would confer financial benefit to private landowners. "I have a hard time justifying to the other citizens of the county why they are subsidizing someone's business," one commissioner said during the discussion. Another commissioner said the project could produce broader benefits and described it as a "huge potential" that could change farming practices for the area if it works.
Following discussion, the board first moved to rescind the prior funding motion from September 4, 2024; the motion carried. The board then moved to fund the feasibility study with $20,000 from county resources; that motion also passed and county staff said they would release the funds to allow the study to proceed.
Project representatives said they expect additional funding from ports and landowners as the project advances and that the feasibility work is a precursor to larger infrastructure and management steps.
The board did not set a further action on the larger recharge implementation at this meeting; the feasibility study will determine next steps and potential cost shares.
