Hermiston Irrigation District

Annual Meeting:

This years’ annual meeting will be held February 26, 2009 at 6:00pm in the Hermiston Irrigation District shop building on the corner of Hurlburt Ave. and 4^th St . The meeting will include our usual beef and bean dinner followed by a presentation by Fred Ziari on the water study his firm has recently completed for this area. Also, there will be a short presentation on the reconstruction of the Drop Structure at Cold Springs Reservoir and a brief report on maintenance activities this past season. This will also provide an opportunity to meet your new ditch riders and other District employees.

Since we will be serving a meal we ask that you please RSVP by Monday, February 23, 2009 either by returning the attached form at the bottom of this newsletter, emailing us at hid@eoni.com or calling our office at 541-567-3024. We look forward to seeing you and your spouse at the annual meeting.

HID Personnel Changes:

The staff and crew at the Hermiston Irrigation District hope that you all had a happy holiday season and to let you know that we look forward to serving you this coming irrigation season.

You will be seeing a few new faces this year, we will have two new ditch riders, we also have a new Lead Man and a new Field Manager. We hope that you are not to inconvenienced as these new folks learn the system.

Fall and Winter Maintenance:

The Hermiston Irrigation District has completed the final connections on our “L” pipeline. This was a fantastic upgrade to an old irrigation lateral. We hope to start right-of-way clearing for a new pipeline on the, “I” lateral later this summer. This too will be a huge water saving project as well as a much more dependable delivery system for water users along the west side of the District. We are always searching for funding and grants to make these types of upgrades possible and to keep the expense to you our patron as low as possible.

As spring rapidly heads our way we will be out getting the delivery system ready for the 2009 season. Please remove all obstacles within the ditch and pipeline easements, while we are burning and cleaning ditches we can move quicker when things are out of the way. If you are having a problem with a screen or head gate please let us know so we can get these problems fixed. If you have a drain ditch running through your property please spend some time getting that channel ready for water. Get your flood ditches cleaned and ready for your water. Sprinkler nozzles should be checked, as sand will wear them. If you find they are worn, replacement will insure efficient coverage of your irrigated lands.

Gates and fences are only allowed with the Districts approval. Most easements and rights-of-way are shared between the Hermiston Irrigation District and the Bureau of Reclamation. It is extremely important to contact us first if you are planning to put a fence close to an irrigation ditch. Other obstacles such as camp trailers, cars and boats need to remain off the irrigation easement. Most of these easements have been attached to your land for over a hundred years and they were set a side specifically to ensure that all of our water users can get their water deliveries and the facilities can be maintained. Please call the office if you have any questions.

Water Rights:

It is very important that you only irrigate land with a water right. Example: If you have 10 acres of land with 5 acres of water right, a map filed with the State shows where on the 10 acres you can irrigate. You must beneficially irrigate your land at least once every five years to maintain this right. The State of Oregon Water Resource Department and the District are watching this beneficial use closely. Again, if you have questions please call the District office.

Water Orders:

Please call your ditch rider 12 hours in advance if you will not be using your flood water at your scheduled time. Also if you have an emergency and have to shut off early notify the ditch rider as soon as possible so that adjustments may be made to prevent unwanted flooding down stream. Please remember that if you have water leaving your property you are not making efficient use of it. Also, if you receive your water through a pipeline and have a pump of 5Hp or more you need to notify your ditch rider before you start up or shut down. Your use or non-use along with others may require adjustments of the canal that feeds the pipeline. As we strive to be good stewards of this precious resource your cooperation is necessary.

Drop Structure Repair:

The drop structure at Cold Springs Reservoir has been repaired and parts of it reconstructed since our last season for diversion of water into Cold Springs Reservoir. The original structure was built in 1906 and 1907 so some major repair and replacement was very necessary to allow continued filling of the reservoir. Early planning began in 2004 and continued through the engineering and permitting process with actual construction beginning in August of 2008. Completion of the construction was in mid November which provided us with a structure built with improved materials and technology over the original structure. Since the old structure lasted for 100 years we can expect that with modern construction methods and materials the new structure should give us good service for at least another 100 years.

Assessments & Collection Policies:

Assessments are mailed out in February and are due by March 1^st. The Board of Directors has resolved to allow assessments in two payments with out penalty. Under this payment arrangement the first half of the assessment is due March 1^st however, the second half may be paid by June 30^th without any penalties or interest.

Any assessments not paid in full by July 31^st are considered delinquent and are subject to collection procedures as follows:

March 31 Hermiston Irrigation District will begin charging interest plus a $2 per month statement fee on all accounts that do not have at least the first half of the assessment paid.

July 31 Hermiston Irrigation District will begin charging interest plus a $2 per month statement fee on the balance of the account.

August Hermiston Irrigation District sends out Fair Debt Act Notices. Any patron in dispute must submit their dispute in writing within 30 days or the debt will be considered valid as presented.

September Notice of Claim of Lien is filed with the Umatilla County Court. A $150 lien fee and a $15 certified letter fee is added to the account.

November Delinquent accounts are presented to the Board of Directors.

December Accounts are forwarded to the District’s attorney for foreclosure proceedings as directed by the Board.

Accounts sent to the District’s Attorney for collections or foreclosure will be charged as follows: A $150 initial attorney contact charge, $325 for Title Search Request Fees, and all actual costs incurred by the District. Delinquent statement charges and interest will be added accordingly.

If you are unable to pay the assessment in the timeline given, PLEASE call the Business Manager and make acceptable payment arrangements. We do not want to see anyone have to go to collections. It is costly for yourself and the District.

________________________________________________________

Staff Directory

Chuck Wilcox, Manager - 567-3024 or 561-5387

Jeff Eicher, Field Manager - 567-3024 or 561-7680

Jeremy Bolen, Lead Man – 567-3024 or 571-7684

Annette Rambel, Business Manager - 567-3024

Dawn Henderson, Customer Service Rep - 567-3024

Marcelino Ortiz - Maintenance Crew

Francisco Portillo - Relief Ditch Rider/Maintenance

John Nelson - East Side Ditch Rider - 561-7681

Don Krein - West Side Ditch Rider - 561-7682

Board of Directors

Charles Miller, Chairman - Division 5

Len Jeppeson - Division 1

Mike Bergstrom - Division 2

Craig Coleman - Division 3

Wes Locke – Division 4