Sun sets in the East

OTHELLO — Dick Erickson isn't going to miss the pump alarms in the middle of the night.

Of course, there are things the longtime manager of the East-Columbia Basin Irrigation District will miss when he retires Monday.

Still, "I'm excited, looking forward to it — my wife Sharon and I both are," he said of retirement. "We're going to go camping for the month of May."

The Ericksons plan to visit national parks in Utah for the month, and spend the summer in the area enjoying recreational activities.

"We're doing stuff we like to do, but now we don't have to schedule it ahead of time," he said.

Camping, boating, hiking, skiing and golfing has gotten fit in on weekends and vacation days, he said, but now the couple can do it whenever they want.

"And then think about what we're going to do next," he said. "We're going to stay here for a while. We're thinking we may eventually relocate, but that will be in a year or two, I think. That's one of the things we need to think about, I guess."

The irrigation district board asked him to give a year's notice when he planned to retire and asked to try to time it so he could orient his replacement, who ultimately wound up being district Engineer Craig Simpson, a decision Erickson thinks is great. Ian Eccles replaced Simpson in the engineer position.

"When the board first said they wanted a year, I thought, 'I don't think they need that long,' but it turns out it works," Erickson said during an interview in his office April 16. "I've got two weeks left and about four weeks worth of work to get done."

Erickson has been manager for 231/2 years, and worked at the district for five years prior.

"When I was going through college, I identified irrigation district work as a goal," he recalled.

His first job was at an eastern Oregon district, which led to the opportunity in Othello.

He left to try something more intense in engineering and gain some private sector experience, which he think proved useful in his managerial position when he returned.

Erickson is proud of the work force in the irrigation district, past and present.

He is also pleased with the work to update the computerized control of the irrigation canal system.

"We've put in a lot of pipelines, lined a lot of canals, we're replacing pumping plants — all the things that needed to be done to keep up the system," he said. "This system has been delivering water for about 55 years, and hopefully will be delivering water for many decades to come."

Erickson compares the peak of the irrigation season to a chess game, where the district must jam more water in places than wants to go there, he said with a chuckle.

Erickson said he will most miss his farmer contacts.

"A lot of times, we can help a farmer solve a problem and it makes them happy and that's gratifying," he said. "Sometimes we can make a farmer who's not happy with us, not unhappy with us, get the problem solved and that's always satisfying."

The irrigation district holds a party for Erickson May 5 at Adams County Fairgrounds at 5:30 p.m.