Bureau engineer says good-bye

Moody retires after 41 years

EPHRATA - John Moody's office at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Ephrata appears on the verge of a major change.

But even with boxes on tables and stacks of work everywhere, he maintains a calm and collected attitude during an interview with the Columbia Basin Herald.

Maybe his relaxed demeanor is due to the fact he's retiring on Oct. 3 after 41 years with the federal agency.

Eleven of those years were spent in Ephrata. A retirement luncheon was held in his honor on Saturday.

Moody, 67, answers questions about his career, retirement, the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project and the bureau's plans to fill his hydraulic engineer /manager position with ease.

Even as co-worker Stephanie Utter pops by his office to grab of box of items, which is one small effort toward cleaning his office for his replacement.

"It's time to at least let someone else take the helm," he said.

His duties in Ephrata entail maintaining the Columbia Basin Project reserved and special reserved works. The area he heads has three high-hazard dams and reservoirs.

When Moody leaves the bureau, the agency will eventually advertise and refill the position, he said. The Ephrata office oversees 17 districts, which operates the federal reclamation project.

Throughout the years, one challenge he recalls is the transition process of new programs. One program, the Safety of the Dams Act, was implemented in 1978 after the failure of the Tieton Dam about 40 miles west of Yakima.

Moody said he didn't have to be involved in the front end of implementing the program, but did walk into the changes.

A current challenge he sees for the bureau is getting back into construction, which has waned, except for a few locations. Bringing construction expertise on board and rebuilding the cadre of engineers and technicians is key, he explained.

For years, there have been talks of completing the unfinished portion of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project, which would expand the bureau's irrigation coverage area. The bureau is currently studying solutions to the declining Odessa aquifer area, and additional work on the project is being discussed.

Construction on the Columbia Basin Project was done about five or six years ago when underground drains were installed as part of the drainage program, he said.

Another challenge is maintaining the water and the land, and environmental issues, Moody said.

He also talked about working in Arizona, a time he spent farming in the Yuma, Ariz., area during six years away from the bureau and working with dams on the Salt River Project.

Moody's spare time is filled with an array of activities, including volunteering with the Soap Lake Revitalization Team, Soap Lake Conservancy, the Ice Age Floods chapter, Coulee Corridor, Masquers Theater, heading a Bible study and serving as a radio station volunteer and on the Ephrata Rotary Club.

So retirement will give him more time to devote to his activities and family.

He's married to his wife Sharon.

He also plans to travel upon retirement. He said in October he'll be heading to Seeley Lake, Mont., to relax and close a cabin. From there, he'll head to Colorado Springs for Thanksgiving, San Diego and Yuma for Christmas.

During his interview, he walks through the bureau's building like it's his home. Every map and picture is a story to tell and he does so with great detail.

Across from the dispatch center in the basement, a large wooden case holds a plethora of manuals on aspects of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. So if there's a question or detail employees don't know, they can refer to the manuals, he explained.

The tour doesn't end with the bureau's large brick building, though. Up the hill behind Ephrata flows the West Canal, a vantage point above town.

Moody points out crack repairs done on the concrete. He also talks up the City of Ephrata's efforts in improving the trail area there for public use.

The view from the canal is expansive. It's possible to see what it's like to soar above rooftops like a bird.

But the view from Moody's home includes more land not seen from the canal's bridge.

It's because he chose to live above the canal.