Ochoco Irrigation District Infrastructure Modernization Project

SPONSORS: Deschutes Basin Board of Control(lead sponsor) and Ochoco Irrigation District (OID)

LOCATION: Crook County, Oregon

PROJECT COST: $50M

YEAR COMPLETED: 2026

PROJECT PARTNERS: Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, Deschutes Basin Board of Control, Deschutes River
Conservancy, Energy Trust of Oregon, Farmers Conservation Alliance, Oregon Water Resources Congress

DISTRICT OVERVIEW
OID delivers water from the Crooked River, its tributaries, and associated reservoirs to 898 patrons that irrigate 20,062 acres of land. Patrons grow alfalfa, hay, various grains, grass seed and specialty crops.

PROJECT OVERVIEW
With support from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Bureau of Reclamation as a cooperating agency, and other federal, tribal, state, and local partners, OID has begun the construction of projects included in its Watershed Plan -Environmental Assessment. When complete, OID will have installed 7.25 miles of buried pipe, improved 11 miles of canal banks, and installed three new pump stations. The projects will improve water delivery reliability to OID patrons and enable the long-awaited McKay Creek Water Rights Switch Project, which has been in progress for over a decade and was included under the Crooked River Collaborative Water Security and Jobs Act of 2014 (PL 113-244).

PROJECT BENEFITS

BEFORE
Aged and inadequate infrastructure limits water delivery reliability during the irrigation seasons.

AFTER
Improved water delivery reliability to OID irrigators and irrigators previously relying on McKay Creek live flow, which is estimated to improve yield by $207,000 annually.

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BEFORE
Inefficient infrastructure loses water during conveyance due to seepage and evaporation.

AFTER
Piping saves up to 1 cubic foot per second (CFS) (432 acre-feet/year) of water for instream use.

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BEFORE
Live flow diversions in McKay Creek and persistent drought in the area limits aquatic species habitat in the Crooked River and its tributaries.

AFTER
Up to 11.2 CFS (approximately 2,021 acre-feet/year) of McKay Creek water rights transferred and permanently protected in McKay Creek and the Crooked River to improve habitat for aquatic species.

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BEFORE
Open canals pose public safety risks, including drowning and flooding.

AFTER
Improved public safety along the IronHorse section of the Crooked River Distribution Canal.

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BEFORE
High operations and maintenance costs due to aquatic weed and debris removal and failure of open canal.

AFTER
OID’s operations and maintenance costs are reduced by $231,000 annually.

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