Irrigation

Water Rights

It takes more than just land to grow grapes.

In Washington, water is a resource that is closely regulated, and using water for commercial and agriculture purposes requires you have a “Water Right”.

• Washington Water Rights for Agricultural Producers (.pdf) – WSU #FS014e
• Landowner’s Guide to WA Water Rights (.pdf) – WA Dept. of Ecology
• Water Rights Resources – WA Dept. of Ecology
• Water Availability in Washington Regions – WA Dept. of Ecology
  • Does my property have a Water Right?
  • Apply for a new Water Right.
  • Ground water (wells) exemptions (.pdf)
  • Wells: Licensing, Construction and Reporting
  • Rainwater Collection – Water Augmentation
  • Water Resource Permits for Washington
• WAC Code Water Rights – Washington State Legislature

Irrigation and Grapes

• Irrigation Basics for Eastern Washington Vineyards (.pdf) – WSU #EM061e
  • ESPAÑOL- Conceptos básicos de riego para los viñedos del este de Washington – WSU #EM061ES
• Grapevine Management under Drought Conditions – WSU #EM4831e
• Drought Management in Wine Grapes – UC Website

General Water Management

• Irrigation in the Pacific Northwest
• Managing Irrigation Water for Different Soil Types in the Same Field (.pdf)– WSU #FS086e
• Managing Irrigation Water Quality in the Pacific Northwest – PNW #597e
• WSU Drip Irrigation Information – WSU Small Farms Website
• Low-Pressure Drip Irrigation for Small Plots – NMSU Extension Pub

Chemigation and Nutrient Management

• Calculating Chemigation Injection Rates (.pdf) – WSU #FS035E
• Chemigation or Fertigation Injection Pump Calibration – WSU#FS230e
• Estimates of Water and Nutrient Movement in Commercial Vineyards (.pdf) – WSU Research Update 2008

Monitoring and Measuring Water Status

• Soil Moisture Monitoring in Drip Irrigated Vineyards (.pdf) – WSU Research Update 2008
• Using a Pressure Chamber to Measure Leaf Water Potential (.pdf) – UC Extension Whitepaper
• Measuring Water Potential – Plant Physiology Online
• Practical Use of Soil Moisture Sensors and their Data for Irrigation Scheduling (.pdf) – WSU #FS083e

Additional Resources

Drought Updates

• Dept. of Ecology Drought Announcement Update 2015

Irrigation Water Supply Status

• Bureau of Reclamation – Hydromet
• Yakima River Basin Daily Water Status
• Snow Pack Reports – USDA-NRCS (Select the file as a .PDF or as a .doc report)

Grapevine Water Use

Grapevine Water Use – WSU V&E Webpage
Grapevine CropCoefficient (.pdf) – WSU V&E Handout

Mobile Irrigation

Check out the new Irrigation Scheduler, which allows you to monitor plant water needs from your mobile device.

WSU Water Info

WSU has a new website dedicated to all things water.