A tentative agreement to pump more irrigation water from the Columbia River into northeast Oregon farmland could be just weeks away, according to Gov. John Kitzhaber’s natural resources policy director.

But such a plan would still require bipartisan support and funding in the upcoming legislature before local farmers can tap into any new water supplies.

It’s a complex process following months of face-to-face negotiations between conservation groups and the Northeast Oregon Water Association, which is applying for three water rights to significantly expand irrigated agriculture while allowing badly stressed groundwater aquifers to recharge.

If successful, the deal could put thousands of acres of highly productive farmland into full production near Hermiston and Boardman, with potential economic benefits in the billions of dollars.

That’s a lot of zeros and a lot of promise, but forgive Eastern Oregonians if they’ve heard it before. Kitzhaber, who was re-elected again in November, has said the effort is a high priority and continues to monitor the Columbia River-Umatilla Solutions Task Force, which he convened in 2012. Yet results are slow to come.

Richard Whitman, who serves as governor’s top natural resources adviser, said this time around feels different.

“We are very close to an agreement that will provide significant expansion of irrigation agriculture, with environmental interests on board,” Whitman said.

The difference now, Whitman said, has been the strong organizational commitment of NOWA and constructive talks on both sides of the negotiating table. Representatives of NOWA — including executive director J.R. Cook — have been traveling twice, sometimes three times per week for meetings in Salem, as well as hosting key legislators from across the Cascades.

What NOWA wants in the long run is three water rights adding up to 500 cubic feet per second of water from the Columbia, which it would pump into three critical groundwater areas spanning 40 miles of river from the Port of Morrow to just east of Hermiston.

Cook knew it wouldn’t come easy. The law requires NOWA mitigate the new irrigation with a bucket-for-bucket replacement of water back into the river in order to protect endangered fish runs. And, as history shows, the Umatilla Basin has a poor record of pumping resources dry — the “sins of our fathers,” as Cook has called them.

The keys to finding a solution, Cook said, are vision, patience and incremental gains. NOWA is working with environmental groups to identify projects that can account for the mitigation piece of their proposal, and making sure those benefits are clearly explained to constituents outside their base.

That takes time, but Cook is confident it will pay dividends.

“People start to get it, that this is a much bigger benefit than just our northeast Oregon neck of the woods,” he said. “Just having that dialogue with folks … it doesn’t mean they’ll agree with everything we propose, but the best part is they understand it and they can make a weighted opinion on it down the road.”

On Nov. 8, members of NOWA and state Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, made the trip to northeast Portland to meet with Sen. Michael Dembrow and about 30 of his constituents, where they discussed water needs and the impacts of local agriculture statewide.

Dembrow, who works with Hansell on the Senate’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee, already visited Eastern Oregon in May for an up-close look at the project area and various ag-based industries. Since then, Cook said the Portland democrat has become an important ally to reaching across the urban-rural divide.

“It’s the best thing we can be doing as a region,” Cook said.

That bipartisan political backing will be important next year when it comes to funding any new water projects. It is likely the governor’s budget will include some resources to help the Columbia River supply start flowing, Whitman said. He declined to get into specifics, but said part of the funding could come from the $10 million Water Supply Development Account created by the legislature in 2013.

Once a concrete proposal is agreed upon, NOWA can move forward with applying for the water right and recruiting new members to join the organization. Membership will help pay for whatever mitigation and infrastructure costs are necessary to pump water onto their property.

“We’re spending significant time and resources trying to pull together a consensus here,” Whitman said.

Though Whitman said they are working on an arrangement that wouldn’t require any new laws, Hansell said he and his partners in Salem will be ready to step up with their support.

“It’s something we’ve worked on for many years, and I’ve tried to pick up the mantle and move it forward,” Hansell said. “I believe we will have something that is meaningful out of the next legislature.”

Working under NOWA, Cook said irrigators have a cohesive and clearly defined vision of success. The next step is coming up with a game plan to match that vision.

“I think we’re doing it right,” Cook said. “We’ve defined success locally. I think the state’s thinking from the top down what their needs and priorities are. Hopefully, we can meet somewhere in the middle.”