The 2003 Strategic Action Plan was approved by the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council members at the October 20, 2003 meeting.  The plan is a reflection of the goals and vision of the Council and will guide efforts to secure funding and prioritize projects.

The Council first developed a Watershed Action Plan in 1999 after conducting an assessment of watershed conditions and setting priorities for work to be accomplished.  That document has been revised to reflect the improvements made in the basin during the past few years and to incorporate feedback from the OWEB self-evaluation process.

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Executive Summary

Tucked between the rolling wheat fields and Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon, the Oregon portion of the Walla Walla watershed faces a variety of issues and questions revolving around water and other vital natural resources. Many of these issues arise out of the fact that now, as much as ever, agriculture remains tightly woven into the social, economic, and ecological fabric of the Walla Walla valley, while the valley itself is generally characterized by an arid climate. Thus, the most pressing of our challenges deal with shortages of water for resource users (both human and nonhuman), local listings under the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act, and increased attention from environmental groups and regulatory agencies. In order to effectively address these and other important issues on a watershed level and collaborate with local and regional partners, the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council has operated since May of 1994 and is recognized by Umatilla County and the state of Oregon.

The Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council is a local, volunteer Board established to improve the conditions of its local watershed. The WWBWC is an Oregon-based Watershed Council. Watershed Councils have been established under the authority of state legislation to offer local residents the opportunity to evaluate independently watershed conditions and identify opportunities for coordination and cooperation. The WWBWC has taken the initiative in the areas of watershed management and policy, as well as in providing scientifically rigorous monitoring and analysis to support those areas. The Council draws upon input and guidance from a variety of local, regional, and national sources, including landowners, basin irrigators and water managers, local governmental bodies, and nongovernmental organizations. In addition, the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council is a co-initiator in convening and drawing upon a basin-wide Technical Work Group (TWG) across the state line. This group is composed of technical experts from state, federal, and tribal agencies, Watershed Council staff, and other nongovernmental organizations.

Amidst a regional climate of conflict, the Walla Walla Basin has become a unique example of stakeholders from across the political spectrum coming together to seek practical and fair solutions to natural resource challenges. Restoration projects, planning, and monitoring are coordinated within and between the two states that share the Walla Walla Basin. The collaborative aspects to this work have been labeled the "Walla Walla Way" by those involved in the process. Through it's administrative staff and Board, the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council (WWBWC) provides crucial local and regional leadership in these ongoing collaborative efforts.

The drivers described in the following section primarily set near-term Council activity priorities in terms of five broad but critically important needs: Endangered Species Act (ESA) “Take” avoidance and mitigation and legal protection for at-risk water users, ESA-listed species recovery, Spring Chinook reintroduction/recovery, Clean Water Act temperature violation and compliance, and ensuring a sound economic future based on surface and ground water availability. Nearly all current Council activities and the issues that drive them intend, in some way, to serve these needs.

The intention of this Action Plan is to explain how the Council’s Mission, Goals, Objectives, and Strategies arise out of, and respond to pressing issues and drivers within our basin. Additionally, an extensive and detailed Walla Walla Subbasin Plan explaining historical watershed conditions, how present conditions may have departed from them, and opportunities for protection and restoration is being developed by the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council and our Washington counterpart, the Walla Walla Watershed Planning unit, as part of the Northwest Power Planning Council’s Rolling Provincial Review planning process. The maps at the end of the document are intended to spatially represent past and ongoing activities conducted by the Council and partnering organizations. In general, and for the near future, activities presented will continue on as planned and in similar locations.

Watershed Conditions

Issues and Drivers

Download Options

There are several options to download this document in a size to suit your downloading capability.  To save the document to your computer, right-click on the link and choose "Save Target As".  All the versions are in PDF format.

1. The complete plan in a high resolution version, 3.98 MB
   2003 WWBWC Action Plan - high resolution

2. The plan in a version without maps, 2.19 MB
    2003 WWBWC Action Plan - no maps

3.  The plan in a version without maps or photos, 499 KB
     2003 WWBWC Action Plan - no maps, no photos

If you choose option 2 or option 3, you may also want to download the maps individually (shown below in the order they appear in the Action Plan).  All are in PDF format.

Cover: Walla Walla Subbasin General Overview

Figure 1: Oregon Portion of the Walla Walla Basin - General Overview (845 KB)

Figure 2: Oregon Walla Walla Basin Water Efficiency and Storage Project Areas (840 KB)

Figure 3: WWRID On Farm and Ditch Efficiency Projects (1.14 MB)

Figure 4: Upriver Water Management and Conservation Improvements (463 KB)

Figure 5: 2002-2003 Walla Walla Subbasin Water Monitoring (619 KB)

Figure 6: Walla Walla Fish Passage Conditions and Improvement Projects 851 KB)

Figure 7: Oregon Walla Walla Interagency Fisheries Monitoring (803 KB)

Figure 8: Cooperative Habitat Improvement Project Locations (933 KB)

Revised version posted 8/21/03

Suggestions of improvements for future revisions may be sent to Brian Wolcott.

1999 Council Action Plan