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Irrigation district seeks mining permit
By Jim Cornelius

Squaw Creek Irrigation District wants to take silt and sand out of Watson Reservoir. Opponents say such operations could damage the reservoir.

The Squaw Creek Irrigation District (SCID) wants to mine dirt out of its Watson Reservoir east of Sisters and sell the dirt to fund conservation projects.

SCID claims the materials to be mined are silt and sand brought into the reservoir by water flow. Opponents -- mainly the Cyrus family of Sisters -- claim that the mining would take out native materials and threaten the integrity of the reservoir.

The adversaries aired their cases at a county hearing on Tuesday, June 4.

SCID attorney David Filippi said that the mining is only a continuation of operations and maintenance work to keep the reservoir cleaned. SCID proposes to remove between 5,000 and 20,000 cubic yards per year from the site.

Filippi said the only reason the district is seeking a conditional use permit for surface mining is that a permit is required for any sale.

"If the district wasn't interested in using, storing, or selling the material, we would not have a need for the conditional use permit," Filippi said.

Keith Cyrus claimed that silt accumulation is far less than what SCID claims it needs to clean up.

In a letter submitted before the hearing, Cyrus said, "The applicant (SCID) is correct in that 'normal operation and maintenance' include the removal of accumulated silt. The applicant is in error in stating that the historic use is to remove anywhere near the quantities suggested..."

Matt Cyrus testified that the materials SCID is proposing to mine are native materials, not accumulated silt. He cited his experience in building and repairing dikes in the site in 1988-89.

"We pushed up native topsoils," he said.

Hearings Officer Karen Green required that, before she renders a decision, SCID must submit a proposal to determine where native materials end and silt accumulation begins on the site.

Green noted that the law would actually allow taking out native materials. However, that is not the context under which the district has applied. If the district seeks to remove native materials, SCID would have to apply for a new conditional use permit.

Keith Cyrus also argued that mining could damage the reservoir, which was constructed in 1964.

"Watson Reservoir does have a history of three major and some minor sinkholes," his letter stated. "The unnecessary excavation of material from the bottom of the reservoir could exacerbate the sinkhole problem or create excessive water loss through seepage."

SCID manager Marc Thalacker acknowledged that sinkholes have occurred at the reservoir -- the largest developing in the late 1960s. That sinkhole was filled with rocks and covered over and has held up well since, according to Thalacker.

Thalacker and SCID engineer David Newton both believe the risk of sinkholes is low and that if one occurs the district is prepared to handle it.

"If something happened we feel we could go in and fix it, we believe, in 24 to 48 hours," Thalacker said.

Another concern is the presence of a bald eagle nest site near the reservoir. The eagles have apparently moved from the reservoir site to a location about a half-mile away.

SCID is willing to curtail mining activities at the site during the nesting season (January 15-August 1) -- if the nests are occupied.

However, naturalist Jim Anderson (a columnist for The Nugget) wrote that "the adult eagles will continue to forage at Watson Reservoir, adjacent agricultural lands and along Highway 20 for carrion. In this light, it would not be advisable for (SCID) to conduct mining operations within the Watson Reservoir area during the nesting season, whether the old nesting site is active or not."

No decision is expected until after soil studies are completed and final arguments are submitted in July.

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