Would irrigation project's completion prevent dust storms?

It’s considered common knowledge there were more dust storms in Grant County before the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project began watering the area’s fields in 1952.

I’ve had a number of sources tell me this throughout the years, and heard the same from my family, who also live and farm in Grant County.

Last Sunday afternoon, a dust storm closed Interstate 90 from milepost 179 near Moses Lake to Ritzville. According to a Columbia Basin Herald article, the storm was believed to have been a factor in a collision involving five vehicles, injuring eight people. In extreme cases, drivers could only see five feet ahead of them.

Sunday’s dust storm wasn’t rare. They seem to happen every so often in the area.

Which poses the question, would completing the irrigation project help reduce or eliminate dust storms in the Columbia Basin? I really don’t know, but I wonder if the connection still exists as strongly as it apparently did before the project started, when there were fewer irrigated fields.

The Columbia Basin Irrigation Project currently waters about 671,000 acres of land, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. There’s ongoing work to complete the project, with the Columbia Basin Development League holding its annual conference Oct. 29 at Big Bend Community College. An update on area water projects is provided at the conference.

The bureau received $55 million in stimulus money earlier this year for local water projects involving fixing the gate at Pinto Dam to bring water to the Potholes Reservoir, providing more water at the East Low Canal, according to a Sept. 10 Columbia Basin Herald article. The other project connects the second tube under I-90 to a closed siphon, allowing more water to be moved.

I’m interested in reading your thoughts on the subject. Would a completed, or even an expanded irrigation project, reduce dust storms in our area?  Share your comments below.

Lynne Lynch is the Columbia Basin Herald business and agriculture reporter.