August 1999: The Walla Walla River at Nursery Bridge.

(taken from the car bridge looking south to the railroad trestle)

All water was diverted from the mainstem of the

river just above this point.

August 2002:  The Walla Walla River at Nursery Bridge.

(same location as photo above)

Bypassed agreement water resulted in a minimum of

25cfs being sent through the fish ladder and down

The Walla Walla River is an interstate river that originates in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon and runs north into Washington to its confluence with the Columbia River between the Snake River confluence and McNary Dam. Throughout the 20th century, most of the summer flows in the Walla Walla have been diverted for irrigation. The water is directed down side channels that follow the paths of a naturally-occurring braided-stream system. These braids rejoin the mainstem downstream.  This water makes the orchards, alfalfa, other crops, and pastures in the valley profitable and replenishes subsurface aquifer water that also supplies domestic wells.

However, during the summer irrigation season (especially June through September), the amount of water flowing through the mainstem of the river was traditionally reduced at the Little Walla Walla Diversion in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, as water was drawn for irrigation of crops and pastures.  The Walla Walla River would usually dry up, often leaving many fish stranded in pools. Fish biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Umatilla Tribes conducted fish rescue operations to relocate the fish.  In addition to irrigation, the natural flow of the river was affected by the flood control levee, gravel mining, and water seeping into the shallow aquifer.

In April 1998, the Walla Walla River was listed by the environmental group American Rivers as eighteenth on their list of "America's Most Endangered Rivers of 1998" due to being "flow impaired" as a result of irrigated agriculture having diverted all of the river's flow. Their report examines rivers each year which they feel face environmental abuse. By listing rivers, they hope to call attention to the threats facing rivers and mobilize community action around protecting and restoring locally and nationally significant waterways. Concern for the Walla Walla River was centered on degradation of fish habitat in areas that once provided productive spawning and rearing habitat for Columbia River salmon, steelhead, and bull trout.

The traditional use of all the water in the river became an issue of political concern once bull trout were listed in 1998 and steelhead in 1999 as threatened species in the Walla Walla River under the Endangered Species Act. Federal agencies considered severe intervention and conservation groups considered lawsuits against the irrigation districts to enforce the law. But something different happened in the Walla Walla Basin. Irrigators whose livelihoods depend on water for their farms stepped forward.  The Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council, along with Kooskooskie Commons and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, helped facilitate a negotiation process that led to a compromise solution.

Beginning in 2000, three irrigation districts pledged to keep a minimum water flow in the river and signed an agreement to this effect with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Two of the irrigation districts that signed the agreement divert water in Oregon (Hudson Bay District Improvement Company and Walla Walla River Irrigation District).  During the driest part of the season, they left 13cfs in the river.   The third district (Gardena Farms Irrigation District #13) is located in Washington, west of the City of Walla Walla, and left 10cfs in the river.  The instream water improved flows and helped provide a continuous flow for passage to upriver for any bull trout and other fish in the mid to lower river sections.

In 2001, the Oregon irrigation districts bypassed 18cfs and the Washington irrigation district bypassed 14cfs.  In 2002, they are leaving a minimum of 25cfs in the river in Oregon and 18cfs in Washington, a level that challenges irrigators to become more efficient but that is expected to be sustainable.  They have also reduced river fluctuations caused by their operations to prevent the stranding of fish.

A coalition of Northwest conservation groups expressed qualified support for the agreement and have agreed not to bring a lawsuit at this time. The coalition includes the following conservation and fishing groups: American Rivers, the Center for Environmental Law & Policy, Friends of the Earth, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, Trout Unlimited, Washington Environmental Council, and WaterWatch of Oregon. The groups have been receiving legal advice from the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund.

"Our coalition supports voluntary solutions to endangered species listings - solutions that restore sustainable fisheries while promoting vibrant local economies," said Katherine Ransel, senior counsel for American Rivers.

"We credit the irrigators and [US] Fish & Wildlife for taking steps to restore flows in the Walla Walla," said Reed Benson, executive director of WaterWatch.  "This agreement is not a complete solution, but it is a great example of positive action under the Endangered Species Act."

Flow needs for Walla Walla River fish are still being studied, but there is no longer any need for a "fish rescue" and the river channel has begun to develop more meander while riparian vegetation has begun to regrow in the gravel-cobble channel. A planting project is planned to add coyote willows to shade the river and reduce temperature, thus restoring a more natural habitat. This is being done with approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that constructed the levee and the Milton-Freewater Flood Control District that manages the area.  The Walla Walla River is no longer on American Rivers' top 20 list.

Local irrigators and agency partners are also working to develop a habitat conservation plan that will provide for long-term fish protection, river and fish recovery, and economic stability.  To learn more about the Bi-State HCP effort, click here.

The Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council (along with many local partners) is implementing a number of projects that will restore flows to the Walla Walla River. These flows will help to improve water quality and habitat conditions in this highly impacted system. Projects include irrigation efficiency improvements such as the lining and piping of ditches, the installation of headgates and measuring devices, flood to sprinkler system conversions, as well as improvements to the shade-producing vegetation in riparian corridors. Hydrologically, increases in flow can be difficult to link to a specific site or project due to the yearly, seasonally, daily, and even hourly fluctuations that occur in the river's discharge. The use of stream health indexes, such as macro-invertebrate sampling and salmonid presence/absence surveys, are much more practical in documenting the incremental improvements in flow and the Walla Walla River's fish habitat.  Council staff participate in collecting data and strive to provide the high quality scientific information needed for watershed management decisions.  More information about the Council and current projects can be found by following the gray button links along the left side at the top of this page.

For more photos of the river, click here.

For a map of the general location of the levee section, click here.

To download a pdf version of this story, click here (41K, PDF). 

This page created in May 2002.