Season anticipated to offer three times the length of delivery days

Ashland.news staff reports

Some water deliveries from Talent Irrigation District started flowing on Monday, signaling the start of the irrigation season for many water patrons, about six weeks earlier than it started last year.

The irrigation district voted May 9 on the opening date of the season and started taking water orders on May 19. TID is one of the city’s main water sources, in addition to Reeder Reservoir and the Talent-Ashland-Phoenix (TAP) system, according to previous reporting by Ashland.news. Water delivery patrons include the city of Ashland’s publicly owned Oak Knoll Golf Course (inquiries to the course for a water update were not immediately returned). Not everyone can start irrigating the week of May 22, however, according to TID officials.

“We will be working prior to this date on flushing the debris and soaking the canals in preparation for water deliveries,” read a news release from TID.

This time last year, TID didn’t know when it would start the season. The district is fed by three reservoirs, Emigrant, Hyatt and Howard Prairie Lakes. As of June 19, 2022, Emigrant (41%), Howard Prairie (14%) and Hyatt Lakes were dismally low due to previous drought years.

This year with significantly higher levels of precipitation, Emigrant Lake recently reached 74%, with Hyatt Lake reaching 58% and Howard Prairie Lake 50% respectively, according to “tea cup” water level readings as of Monday.

The district office anticipates providing water deliveries for at least 90 days, and potentially longer, according to TID officials, which is roughly three times what they offered for the season last summer.

“If we all work together cooperatively, we can make this the best season we have had in a couple of years,” read the news release.

Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].