Pacifica's Irrigation Conservation and Agriculture Chemical Recovery Project

The purpose of this award is for the grantee to establish a demonstration project that addresses that National Natural Resource Concern of Water Resources.Pacifica is establishing a 422-acre botanical garden and nature center and school of practical horticulture— a culture stock repository of more than 7,000 different taxa. This repository will support Oregon’s horticulture industry through plant accessioning, research, monitoring, and education. As a working botanical garden, Pacifica intends to operate a production plant nursery as a major element of both its education program for the horticulture trades, plant research, and organizational sustainability through the sale of containerized nursery stock. Based on the nursery’s location within Pacifica’s property, — the site is within 800 linear feet of Williams Creek which is a major salmonid bearing stream — the soil composition, and Pacifica’s desire to practice water conservation through reuse and to meet any current and all future regulation of chemical pathogens associated with agriculture production, the organization is seeking funding to construct and monitor a closed loop irrigation system that will recover not only water, but nitrates, herbicides, and pesticides for recycling. This work includes the construction of:

1) an off-channel irrigation reservoir;

2) plant growing areas that first irrigate and then recapture any unused water and the associated water-borne chemical pathogens used in the production of nursery stock;

3) a water return system to the reservoir;
4) bio-intervention/remediation to capture the chemical pathogens;

5) data collection/monitoring regarding the effectiveness of the system and associated economics; and

6) publication and distribution of project findings.