Vantage to Pomona FEIS Index 34 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 3 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Affected Environment PAGE 3-116 • Potatoes • Wheat • Blueberries • Wildlife Feed According to the Washington Wine Commission, the Project study area is located in the Columbia Gorge designated American Viticultural Area. Viticultural areas are a federally recognized wine growing region and are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 27 Part 9. Management of agricultural lands includes the use of global positioning system guided equipment and vehicles used for irrigation, aerial and ground based spraying, aerial drying of cherry orchards using helicopters, mechanical plowing, seeding, fertilizing, and harvesting. Some of the equipment may be between 15 feet and 40 feet in height and may not be compatible with transmission line conductors or structures. Typical farm equipment that may be used in the Project study area includes combines with antennae, combines with hopper extensions, and tractors with antennas. Other equipment, such as sprayers, augers and cultivators in transit on trailers, silage dump wagons, and end dump trucks with inclined box may also be used in the Project study area. Irrigated Agricultural Systems Specific irrigation methods typically utilized in the Project study area include center pivot, hand movable sprinkler line, wheel line, drip, big gun, and flood. Sprinkler irrigation usually provides a more even distribution of water than other methods and can be used on rolling topography. Flood irrigation entails spreading water over a unit of land. Border dikes, cross-ditches, or water spreading systems are used to control the water. A summary of crop types and irrigation methods in the Project study area is shown in Table 3.4-2 below. Center pivot systems may utilize articulated arms to irrigate field corners. Articulated systems, shown in Figure 3.4-1, are more easily adaptable because they can avoid or bend around transmission line structures. Appendix A-Map 9a through 9E: Existing Agriculture and Irrigation shows crop types and irrigation methods in Project study area. Figures 3.4-2 through 3.4-8 show some of the predominant irrigation systems in use in the Project study area. Reclamation’s Columbia Basin Project provides the vast majority of irrigation to agricultural areas in the Project study area. Irrigation is also provided by groundwater or direct withdrawal from surface waters (e.g., Columbia River, Yakima River) in the Project study area and is commonly delivered through a network of feeder canals, storage ponds, open ditches, and buried pipes. Buried and surface main irrigation lines and laterals are prevalent in Grant County. Excess water is drained through a system of wastewater ditches called wasteways (see Figure 3.4-8). Reclamation maintains a system of roads to access the irrigation infrastructure. The existing irrigation infrastructure is shown in Appendix A: Map 9 Existing Agriculture and Irrigation. Organic farming also occurs in the Project study area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Organic Standards certifies organic crops and establishes the requirements of the National Organic Program (NOP) for organic crop production including land management, seed and planting stock, crop rotation, and pest management. The USDA’s NOP Final Rule contains the general requirements for certification (7 CFR 205). The producer or handler of a production or handling operation intending to sell, label, or represent agricultural products as “100 percent organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))” must comply with the applicable provisions of NOP. The physical presence of a transmission line would not affect organic certification, but spot spraying for weeds along a transmission line during maintenance could potentially impact organic crops due to overspray.