Water for research

Researchers at the Intermountain Research and Extension Center in Tulelake and the Oregon State University Klamath Experiment Station near Klamath Falls are scrambling to find water for their ongoing projects.

"Due to this water shortage, we're in the same situation a lot of the farmers are in," said Rob Wilson, center director-farm adviser for the University of California's Tulelake center.

The Tulelake station has about 100 acres, but the amount of acreage for research projects varies from year-to-year.

This year, Wilson said, 25 projects are planned on nearly 29 acres, including several multi-year studies.

Studies at the Tulelake and Klamath Falls sites determine what crops perform best in the Klamath and Tulelake basins.

Over the years, research has helped determine, for example, the most productive varieties of potatoes for Basin soils and the amount of water needed for specific crops, especially in dry or drought years.

"We're in a waiting game to see when water will be allocated, and how much," Wilson said. "We're kind of in a holding pattern."

"It's been consuming almost all our time the last three weeks," said Brian Charlton, a research extension agent for the OSU Klamath center.

The Klamath Falls station has about 60 farmable acres, but has projects on only a portion of that acreage in a given year. Charlton said more than 20 research projects are planned, including some multi-year studies.

Charlton and extension agent Rich Roseberg are involved with ongoing feasibility studies to determine if the research station can use well water from a neighboring farm. Even if that water is available, Charlton said, the majority of the station's lands would not be irrigated this year.

Charlton has been in Klamath Falls since 1998 and was at the station in 2001 when irrigation was shutoff to Klamath Irrigation Project for most of the summer. He said some dry-land experiments done in 2001 would be duplicated this season. He said the vast majority of potato studies would be moved off-site to growers with wells.

"We are putting plans in place to make things work," he said.

Wilson said he is working with the Tulelake City Council to determine if an unused well near the Tulelake station can provide water, especially for ongoing studies and other tests. During its last meeting, Council members agreed to determine the feasibility of providing water.

"There are really limited other options," he said, noting the station has a small well that has marginal water quality.

Wilson said some area growers are willing to provide land for research, "but many of the trials have to be done on the field station to control a lot of variables."