http://www.heraldandnews.com/articles/2003/11/14/viewpoints/letters/letters.txt

Tule alkali content rising
by Hank Christensen, Herald and News letter 11/14/03

I am deeply concerned at how the Basin farm drains are being maintained, and also the levels at which many of them are being operated.

These drains were designed to maintain the Basin's underlying water table at a low-enough level that alkali would never penetrate the Basin's crops' root zone.

For many years, the drains were properly maintained, and the water levels in them maintained at the proper elevations, and no alkali problems ever developed. But things have changed. Now, many of them are maintained at levels at which alkali problems could develop. This is especially true of potatoes.

If you don't think this could happen, take a look at what happened to the town of Tulelake.

When I bought my home in Tulelake in 1964, I immediately planted a garden. After a few years alkali problems developed: First to root crops, with parsnips being the first affected (they had the longest roots), then carrots, beets and radishes.

Finally, all crops were affected and I gave up and started on another lot. Here I hilled up all the garden rows 5 to 10 inches, and no problems developed for several years. But this year, things changed. Carrots and beans failed to produce and potatoes died before producing edible-size potatoes. Here in Tulelake the only remaining question is this: Is the alkali going to rise high enough to kill flowers and lawns?

Both the city of Tulelake and the Tule Lake Irrigation District were asked to do something about the city's water problem, but nothing was done. Now it's too late.

Hopefully, the irrigation district will start properly maintaining the farm drains and again start using the drains for what they were designed for, before the farmers are faced with the same problem the city of Tulelake faces.

Many fields produced small potatoes, which has been blamed on the weather. This is one of the first signs that alkali problems are developing, which has been blamed on the weather.

Consequently, soil samples from at least some of these fields should be analyzed and if alkali is found, appropriate action can be taken before it's too late.

Henry Christensen

Box 487

Tulelake

 

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