The Freshwater Trust Brings $24.2 Million To Enable Irrigation Upgrades For Idaho, Oregon Farmers

Federal awards and matching funds will help Idaho and Oregon farmers upgrade irrigation systems and reduce agricultural runoff

Portland, OR - The Freshwater Trust will expand irrigation modernization for farmers in eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho with $24.2 million in new federal and matching funds aimed at reducing agricultural runoff and improving water quality in Idaho’s Mid-Snake River. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) awarded the funding through its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The awards include $8.3 million to The Freshwater Trust for work in the Payette-Weiser region and $7.7 million to Oregon’s Owyhee Irrigation District, of which $3.9 million will support the trust’s on-farm irrigation modernization work. The five-year agreements will provide The Freshwater Trust with $12.2 million in federal funding. Idaho Power Company will contribute $12 million in matching funds, bringing the new funding for on-farm improvements to $24.2 million.

“With a target reduction of 445,000 pounds of total phosphorus for the whole basin, now is the time to significantly expand this program. These USDA awards and matching IPC funds provide the resources to support a lot more farmers and improve water quality in the Snake River,” said David Primozich, vice president of water at The Freshwater Trust.

The effort addresses a water-quality problem documented in a decade-long regional study led by the U.S. Geological Survey. The study found that excess phosphorus runoff from upstream contributes significantly to low-oxygen conditions that promote production of toxic methylmercury in the Snake River and Idaho Power’s Hells Canyon Complex of hydroelectric reservoirs.

Methylmercury moves through the food web and accumulates in fish. In long-lived species such as white sturgeon, it can reach levels that make the fish unsafe to eat.

“The Nez Perce Tribe has long sought better water quality in the Snake River and will support this regional funding and implementation effort to address a major cause of methylmercury production in the watershed,” says Samuel N. Penney, chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe.

The new funding builds on three years of pilot work, including a $5.6 million grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2023. The program brings together funding from multiple partners to help farmers install irrigation upgrades that maximize phosphorus reductions.

Over the past two years, The Freshwater Trust has worked with Oregon’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to streamline technical assistance and prepare projects for funding. Irrigation suppliers, technical service providers, archaeologists and outreach specialists help recruit farmers, evaluate proposals and develop projects.

“Many of the producers we speak with every day would like to convert from surface irrigation to precision methods, but the switch can be time-consuming and expensive,” said Kurt Romans, president of Romans’ Precision Irrigation.

To help farmers cover upfront costs, The Freshwater Trust secured a $5 million line of credit from Columbia Bank, guaranteed by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The financing allows the trust to advance 50% of incentive payments when producers order equipment.

By the end of 2026, the program expects to have implemented 52 projects meeting federal conservation service standards, representing $17 million in total project investment. Those projects are expected to reduce runoff into the Snake River by 20,000 pounds of total phosphorus, 185,000 pounds of nitrogen and 13,000 tons of sediment.

The Freshwater Trust and its partners also received a $1.8 million EPA grant to study short-term changes in methylmercury in the Mid-Snake food web. The research will supplement program monitoring and help researchers detect trends earlier than monitoring long-lived fish alone.

“We are excited to see this collaborative Snake River effort continue to grow,” says Fred Noland, director of environmental affairs at Idaho Power. “Long-term solutions to complex natural resource challenges depend on strong partnerships and a data-driven approach.”

About The Freshwater Trust

The Freshwater Trust (TFT) is a fast-growing nonprofit organization and national leader in data-driven watershed restoration and freshwater resource management. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with offices throughout the West, TFT pioneered analytics-driven conservation, implementing scalable solutions that deliver measurable environmental and economic benefits. TFT’s approach combines cutting-edge analytics with deep ecological expertise to identify and fund the most impactful projects, maximizing the return on every conservation dollar invested. For more information, visit www.thefreshwatertrust.org. Stay connected with The Freshwater Trust on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Vimeo.