The Bitter Root Water Forum, in its continuing effort to offer educational opportunities related to the Bitterroot Watershed, recently hosted its fourth annual “Future Irrigators Field Trip” Young people in Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters from up and down the valley participated in the event.
The day began with a visit to the Lake Como dam which provides for the Bitter Root Irrigation District (BRID) which services 16,665 acres along a 72 mile stretch from Lake Como to the Eagle Watch area southeast of Florence. The main canal has an initial capacity of 350 cubic feet per second. As of 2015, the District services approximately 1,400 water users.
Besides getting a view of the dam gate controls and the spillway, the FFA members got the whole lowdown on the irrigation system from BRID Manager John Crowley. They also got an earful about the distribution of the water from Bitterroot River Water Commissioner Al Pernichle. At another workstation they learned about soil composition and how it affects irrigation practices.
From there the FFA members traveled to the Republican Ditch where they examined the fish control structure that allows fish to escape back into the river rather than going down the ditch. The last stop was at Huls Dairy Farm where they learned about how water is used in a state-of-the-art dairy facility that captures and treats its wastewater and re-uses it for generation of electricity to run the operation.