Mark Wagoner: Overcoming Challenges in Gardena Farms Irrigation District
The distinctive flood-formed geology of the Gardena region is seen in the Little Grand Canyon.
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6 | IRRIGATION LEADER
Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position. Mark Wagoner: I was born in Walla Walla and grew up on a farm outside Touchet, Washington, that lies in the GFID. I’ve lived here my whole life except for the 4 years I spent at Washington State University (WSU). I was appointed to the GFID board of directors in 2001, and I’ve been on it since then. It’s been fun. Irrigation Leader: What kind of farm do you have? Mark Wagoner: Farmers in Gardena are limited in the crops we can grow because don’t have much water
PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAMBORG.
he Gardena Farms Irrigation District (GFID) is one of the oldest irrigation districts in Washington State, and one that faces particular challenges. A 1936 U.S. Supreme Court decision allows Oregon water users to use as much water from the Walla Walla River as they want, leaving little for irrigators north of the border. This problem is compounded by aged infrastructure, a lack of storage, and a complicated patchwork of property rights adjoining its ditches. Nevertheless, GFID farmers have adapted to these strained circumstances by making use of groundwater and finding crops like alfalfa seed, alfalfa hay, and wheat that can be grown without summer water supplies. In this interview, Walla Walla–area farmer and GFID Board Member Mark Wagoner tells Irrigation Leader about how the district has dealt with its unusual set of circumstances.
