Extending a landmark settlement from last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and three irrigation districts have signed an agreement that for the next two years will leave more water in the Walla Walla River to benefit bull trout, a federally protected threatened species.
The agreement, signed June 27, 2001, extends a one-year settlement reached in June 2000 and sets the stage for long-term habitat conservation planning in the Walla Walla River Basin.""This is an excellent example of cooperation, and it proves that the needs of water users and fish do not have to be mutually exclusive, even in a low-water year," said Anne Badgley, Regional Director of the Fish and Wildlife Services Pacific Region. "By working together, we can help struggling fish populations, protect water rights and avoid expensive, time-consuming lawsuits that delay aid to fish that desperately need it."
"The agreement requires that summer 2001 river flows will be at least 18 cubic feet per second (cfs), or about 8,080 gallons per minute, at irrigators diversions in the Oregon reach of the river and 14 cfs (6,280 gallons per minute) at diversions in the Washington reach downstream. In 2002, river flows must be at least 25 cfs (11,220 gallons per minute) at irrigators diversions in the Oregon reach and 18 cfs at diversions in the Washington reach.
"To avoid stranding fish in isolated pools, the irrigation districts also agreed to make even more gradual changes in river levels than they agreed to last year. The districts provide monitoring to determine water level effects on bull trout and the long-term needs of the fish. The monitoring program started last year and will continue under the new agreement.
"The Service reached the agreement with the Walla Walla River Irrigation District and the Hudson Bay District Improvement Company, both in Oregon, and the Gardena Farms Irrigation District #13 in Washington. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and a consortium of environmental groups provided suggestions.
"Ron Brown, irrigator and board member of the Walla Walla River Irrigation District, said, "We continue to work on improving the efficiency of our delivery system to meet the bypassed flows and still continue to deliver water to the farms."
"The Service, the irrigation districts, the tribes, environmentalists and others in the watershed are working together to develop a long-term habitat conservation plan that will protect bull trout and other aquatic species in the Walla Walla River Basin while still allowing irrigators to draw water.
"The new agreement builds on a June 2000 settlement that avoided enforcement action against the irrigation districts for violating the federal Endangered Species Act by harming or killing bull trout with their water withdrawals. Portions of the Walla Walla River near Milton-Freewater run dry in the summer due to irrigation withdrawals. This causes bull trout to be stranded in pools.
"In the past, biologists have captured stranded bull trout and moved them upriver to better habitat. In 1999, they moved 108 bull trout. Last year, after flows were increased to 13 cfs, only 15 bull trout had to be moved. The increased flows called for in the new agreement are expected to result in even fewer bull trout being stranded, although the increases may not be enough to prevent a dry stretch of river this year and possibly next. A long-term basin strategy probably would keep water in the river all year.
""We are much more interested in working with parties to achieve benefits for species than we are in imposing penalties," Regional Director Badgley said.
"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
