Nearly $5M earmarked for water projects across two states

Projects ranging from floodplain restoration to improving water quality and fish passage will benefit from nearly $5 million in funding being provided by Oregon and Washington state lawmakers. 

The Oregon Legislature recently allocated $2.5 million for water-related projects that are part of the Walla Walla Water 2050 strategic plan, an initiative aimed at better managing the water resources of the Walla Walla Basin. 

The funding will be provided through Oregon’s Water Resources Department, according to a release, with another $2.4 million coming from the state of Washington state.  

“While the specific project outcomes vary, the projects types were prioritized on the basis of the multiple benefits that each would provide for fish, farms and people,” said Anton Chiono, habitat conservation project leader for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), in a statement. 

The basin covers 1,785 square miles, with the headwaters of the Walla Walla River starting in the Blue Mountains of Oregon before flowing into Washington state. 

The funding will go toward six projects: 

• Floodplain restoration to reduce flood risk and restore habitat. 
• Streamflow restoration through water rights transactions. 
• Fish passage improvement and habitat restoration in Mill Creek. 
• Increased infiltration of stormwater to improve surface water quality. 
• Modernizing irrigation infrastructure to benefit streamflows. 
• Improving water quality in the south fork of the Walla Walla River. 

All the projects were identified as priorities in the Walla Walla Water Plan 2050, which began being developed in 2019 via Oregon’s Water Resources, Washington Department of Ecology, the CTUIR and local stakeholders in the basin, including the Walla Walla River Irrigation District. 

“The initiative answers the decades-long challenge of meeting the basin’s growing water needs for today, tomorrow, and beyond,” according to Ecology’s website on the water plan. “This project is especially critical as water supplies throughout the state are under pressure from declining aquifers and warming snowpack.”