I have water-skied in the river at Prosser, but I don't think I would swim in the river at Prosser. That's the cost of 100 years of agriculture in the Lower Valley. You can look at the farming community and say they're to blame, but that's not the whole issue. Even if urban pollution sources were plugged, there still would be water quality problems in the Yakima, Stevens said. And there have been benefits.
Irrigated agriculture is the backbone of the economy.
Virtually every job in the Lower Valley is related in some way or another to agriculture, Stevens said. It's important to remember, it's not just farming but processing, shipping, handling. Those folks create jobs for others. Copyright 1997 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.