E. Columbia Basin Irrigation District recognized for perseverance
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months, 1 week AGO
East Columbia Basin Irrigation District board president Duaine Anderson, right, accepts the Columbia Basin Development League’s Perseverance award from CBDL President Jon Erickson.
COURTESY PHOTO/EAST COLUMBIA BASIN IRRIGATION DISTRICT
Duaine Anderson, ECBID board president, thanks his staff for their hard work while accepting the Perseverance Award from the CBDL.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | November 27, 2025 3:20 AM
OTHELLO — A local irrigation district board was the recipient of an award from the Columbia Basin Development League designed to recognize people and organizations that find a way to overcome obstacles. Jon Erickson, CBDL board chair, said the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District directors exemplify the Perseverance Award.
“(The award was designed to) recognize those people who were constantly jumping over hurdles,” Erickson said.
The Perseverance Award was established in 2012, he said. Potential recipients are nominated by CBDL constituents, Erickson said, and evaluated by a committee. The committee then recommends a recipient to the CDBL board. The ECBID board was recognized for its continuing work on the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program.
The OGWRP’s goal is to switch farms in sections of Adams, Grant and Lincoln counties that rely on groundwater for irrigation over to surface water. To date, two irrigation systems have been completed and another two are under construction.
The award was presented at the CDBL annual meeting in mid-November.
Erickson is the ECBID development coordinator and said he had personal experience with the kind of decisions required of the irrigation district’s five-member board. It may sound like an easy job, he said, but it’s not.
“These individuals, some of whom have sat in their position for many years, are faced with challenges and have to make hard decisions regarding their constituents and the district as a whole,” Erickson said when presenting the award. “Decisions may not always align with their own personal interests, decisions that may not be popular amongst the crowd, decisions that might spark lengthy discussions or multiple meetings, as well as those plain old day-to-day decisions like approving the minutes.”
Irrigation board President Duaine Anderson accepted the award both past and present board members.
Anderson expressed appreciation to ECBID staff for “their continuous efforts to deliver reliable irrigation water to landowners at a sustainable cost.”
Erickson said in his opinion, the ECBID board has shown the kind of perseverance the award was designed to recognize.
“A very deserving award for our board,” he said. “They make some tough decisions sometimes.”
Duaine Anderson, ECBID board president, thanks his staff for their hard work while accepting the Perseverance Award from the CBDL.ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road projects on hold for Labor Day weekend
MOSES LAKE — With Labor Day weekend dead ahead, drivers will be able to move freely about the state. Most road projects are on hold for the holiday weekend. Nobody will be working on the Hansen Road overpass on Interstate 90, but the lane restrictions that are in effect will continue through the end of the project.
Cost estimates for water source alternatives given to Moses Lake City Council
Protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, efforts are ongoing to keep it self-sufficient
MOSES LAKE — It’s going to cost a lot of money to provide alternative water sources for the city of Moses Lake, but some of the possible alternatives will cost more than others. City officials provided the Moses Lake City Council with costs for various alternatives Tuesday.
Dryer vent cleaning is important -- but often overlooked
MOSES LAKE — Not all the maintenance a house needs is visible. Sometimes a potential problem just goes unnoticed until it causes trouble, sometimes serious trouble. But a lot of potential problems give off warning signs. Clothes dryers often do when they need a good cleaning.