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IRZ CONSULTING, LLC I RZ 505 East Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838 Office (541) 567-0252 Fax (541) 567-4239 www.irz.com July 6, 2004 Dear Mr. Thank you for contacting IRZ Consulting to do this land use classification and crop rotation study of the WRIA 31 watershed. We have enjoyed working on this project and hope to be able to work with you again in the future. Attached are two pages containing our results. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at (541) 567-0252 or on my mobile phone at (541) 571-1113. Thanks. Best, Alan Jackson GIS Manager 505 East Main St. Hermiston, OR 97838 Office: (541) 567-0252 Mobile: (541) 571-1113 Web: www.irz.com ---PAGE BREAK--- Glade / Fourmile Rock Wood / Alder Kennewick Agricultural Cropland Permanent Crop Seasonal/Row Crop Dryland Crop . 0 5 10 2.5 Miles IRZ CONSULTING LLC Total Ag Production Total Dryland Total Irrigated Permanent Row Crop Acres Acres Acres Acres Acres Acres Glade / Fourmile 529,275 315,088 184,079 131,009 11,303 119,706 Kennewick 70,596 14,937 12,158 2,779 2,746 32 Rock 165,084 7,284 7,284 0 0 0 Wood / Alder 255,282 43,366 39,568 3,798 759 3,039 Irrigated Table 1: WRIA 31 Acreage by Sub-basin WRIA 31 - Agricultural Production Phone: [PHONE REDACTED] Web: www.irz.com ---PAGE BREAK--- IRZ CONSULTING LLC Crop Rotation Dryland acres and Irrigated acres have been delineated based on Spot Satellite imagery from 2001 as well as crop rotation records from the same year. The numbers provided are approximate based on the best and most recent information available. A more accurate study would require gathering satellite and ground data over several growing seasons. High accuracy is difficult to obtain due to changing variables such as water availability, power costs and market demands. The five farms used in this crop rotation study are located within the Glade/Fourmile sub-basin of the WRIA 31 boundary. They range is size from 2,000 to 15,000 acres and are representative of the farming practices in the area. Table 2 shows a typical row crop rotation for each farm as a percentage of the total row crop acres as well as an average of all the farms studied. The total percentage is over 100% representing the usage of wheat cover crops for erosion control and the practice of double cropping or planting two consecutive crops on the same field during the same growing season (e.g. peas followed by sweet corn). We estimate water usage in wheat cover crops to be approximately 1/3 that of a full season wheat crop. Table 2: Typical Row Crop Rotation as a Percentage of Total Row Crop Acres Sugar Beets 0% Sugar Beets 0% Sugar Beets 0% Sugar Beets 17% Sugar Beets 0% Sugar Beets 3% Field Corn 0% Field Corn 19% Field Corn 39% Field Corn 29% Field Corn 0% Field Corn 17% Grass Seed 20% Grass Seed 0% Grass Seed 0% Grass Seed 5% Grass Seed 0% Grass Seed 5% Onions 5% Onions 0% Onions 1% Onions 1% Onions 7% Onions 3% Potatoes 31% Potatoes 32% Potatoes 31% Potatoes 29% Potatoes 30% Potatoes 31% Sweet Corn 37% Sweet Corn 30% Sweet Corn 6% Sweet Corn 2% Sweet Corn 26% Sweet Corn 20% Wheat 1% Wheat 13% Wheat 24% Wheat 18% Wheat 37% Wheat 19% Peas 12% Peas 0% Peas 0% Peas 0% Peas 0% Peas 2% Alfalfa 7% Alfalfa 0% Alfalfa 0% Alfalfa 0% Alfalfa 0% Alfalfa 1% Carrots 4% Carrots 0% Carrots 0% Carrots 0% Carrots 37% Carrots 8% Wheat (cover) 40% Wheat (cover) 51% Wheat (cover) 70% Wheat (cover) 76% Wheat (cover) 74% Wheat (cover)1 62% Total 157% Total 146% Total 170% Total 176% Total 211% Total2 172% 1 Wheat cover crops are used primarily for erosion control. We estimate the water usage to be approximately 1/3 that of a full season wheat crop. 2 Totals of over 100% represent wheat cover crops for erosion control and the practice of double cropping (e.g. peas followed by sweet corn) in the same growing season. Farm A Average Farm B Farm C Farm D Farm E Permanent crops (orchards/vineyards) are not included in Table 2. We estimate, based on personal knowledge of the area, that there is an even split in permanent crops between orchards (including apples, cherries and poplar trees) and vineyards.