Battle over irrigation ditch deepens

The battle between Squaw Creek Irrigation District and the Keith Cyrus family over piping the Cloverdale Irrigation canal now involves the Lazy Z Ranch.

A portion of the canal that runs through the Lazy Z has been piped, and some of that pipe buried with dirt taken from a new reservoir SCID is digging next to the main Watson reservoir.

David Herman, owner of the Lazy Z, and SCID manager Marc Thalacker have been negotiating over how the ditch would be piped across Herman's land. The two sides have so far failed to reach an agreement.

Herman requested a temporary restraining order to keep SCID from working on his land.

That request was denied last Thursday and SCID began working, but Herman parked a large piece of equipment across the access point until these issues can be resolved. Both sides discussed having their rights protected by the sheriff.

In the mean time, representatives of the Oregon Department of Geology and Mining Industries (DOGAMI) and Deschutes County visited the site on Friday, according to Planning Director George Read. They told SCID to stop work on the pond which is providing dirt to cover the pipe.

Digging the pond is in effect running a surface mine, according to Read, since SCID was digging and selling the material according to their own budget documents.

Thalacker claims that DOGAMI granted an exemption, but Read said that DOGAMI believes the exemption SCID claims is for the wrong kind of operation.

Even if the material is being used on SCID land, county permits are required by county ordinance in an EFU zone and SCID does not have them, according Read.