News Tips Letters to Editor Subscriptions Classified Ads Legal Notices Contact Info

With the mission of sustaining and improving the Hood River watershed, a group of citizens, landowners, growers, irrigation and water districts, environmental organizations, businesses and government and tribal representatives has been working on a long list of projects throughout the county.

Founded in 1993, the Hood River Watershed Group is one of 82 watershed councils in the state. With Mount Hood towering to the south and providing the county with hundreds of miles of streams and rivers, the group is involved, in one way or another, with basically all major water-related projects in the county.

Last week HRWG gave an annual “State of the Watershed” presentation, where representatives from different agencies shared information about recently completed projects and listed a variety of others that are ongoing or planned for the future.

Steve Stampfli, HRWG coordinator, explained that the group is two years into its action plan, which was drawn up in 2008. The plan, which was formed after a basin-wide assessment, was aimed at addressing specific needs and projects that could best enhance or preserve the watershed.

“I am of course very optimistic about the future of the Hood basin,” Stampfli said. “The Hood River Watershed Group and its partners have long adopted a very cooperative and non-regulatory approach to problem solving, based on good knowledge of natural resource conditions, good planning, trust, and willingness to jump in and fix things. This has put us on track for side-tracking water shortages, endangered species regulations, water pollution and other resource problems that have really stagnated in other parts of the western U.S.

Stampfli started the State of the Watershed meeting off by describing the most significant project to be completed in the area for many years. The removal of Powerdale Dam started this spring and concluded in October, and with the barrier gone fish now access to about 144 miles of upstream habitat they were once limited from reaching.

“We’re very, very pleased with how the project went,” he said. “A lot of people seem to judge the significance of a dam removal on how big or how tall the dam is. But I think the most significant factor to look at is how much upstream habitat is affected. In this case it’s really a lot.”

Powerdale Dam removal was number one on a list of 61 action plans the HRWG has been working on in recent years. In many cases HRWG provides backup support, with other agencies taking the lead on the actual projects.

“While we have numerous projects remaining on our action plan list, and will probably be adding many more, the future looks very bright thanks to the spirit of our local people,” Stampfli said.

Below are brief descriptions of some of those 61 listed projects.

Powerdale Hydroelectric Dam Removal: The HRWG’s foremost project, going back to the 2003 PacifiCorp settlement agreement. Removal of the dam, which was completed this fall, opens 144 miles of upstream habitat to unrestricted fish movement. PacifiCorp also agreed to donate about 400 acres of land on both sides of the Hood River stretching between the former Powerdale Dam site and the lower powerhouse site. The land will be turned over to three agencies: Hood River County, Columbia Land Trust and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Central Canal Pipeline: Prior to this project, East Fork Irrigation District used Neal Creek to transmit irrigation water to lower valley customers. With its completion, Neal Creek now has clearer water, a major irrigation diversion has been removed and 3.4 cfs of water is being saved in the East Fork.

Coe Branch Diversion and Fish Screen Improvement: The Coe Branch, in the Middle Fork system near Laurance Lake, is one of the only streams in the basin that supports ESA-listed bull trout. Prior to upgrading the diversion in 2009, bull trout were being injured and or killed by the diversion. Pulses of sediment were also being released into Coe Creek. The new screen system, invented locally by the Farmers Conservation Alliance, is safer, more efficient and takes much less maintenance to operate.

Lower Powerdale Corridor Floodplain & Wetland Restoration: The removal of Powerdale Dam has spawned new projects on the lower Hood River, which is the Watershed Group’s second priority (after the lower East Fork River).

A significant new project the group is working on below Powerdale is termed the RM1.0 Project. While working in partnership with Columbia River Crossing, Mount Hood Railroad and Columbia Land Trust, the plan is to design a project that will open up a half-mile of abandoned side channel and reactivate a large section of floodplain.

Clear Branch Dam Fish Passage Improvement: This project involves Middle Fork Irrigation District and U.S. Forest Service. With the presence of bull trout and other ESA-listed species in the Middle Fork, USFS and state, federal and tribal agencies are very interested in seeing fish passage achieved above the Clear Branch (Laurance Lake) dam.

HRWG is working with MFID to obtain dollars to complete a fish passage study, to determine which method of passage is most cost-effective (e.g., ladders, trucking, etc.). Hood River County is contributing to this project via Title II dollars.

East Fork main canal diversion upgrade: This is one of the HRWG’s most significant projects for the future. East Fork Irrigation District’s main canal diversion has been identified as a significant fish passage barrier during certain flows. As such, EFID in partnership with CTWS, HRWG and ODFW have been working to identify options for construction of a new fish-friendly diversion. The CTWS have already financed a conceptual design, and EFID is ready to do a final construction design. HRWG will help acquire funding for the multi-million dollar project.

Dee Irrigation diversion passage and ditch to pipeline upgrade: This is an upcoming Dee Irrigation District project that CTWS has assisted with. A preliminary design has been completed to convert an existing open ditch in Dee to a closed pipeline, which will save considerable water in the West Fork. The project is significant for saving water and because DID has agreed to allocate saved water back to in-stream flow.

Polallie Creek Culvert Upgrade: Crews started work last spring on replacing the Highway 35 Bridge over Pollalie Creek at the intersection of Cooper Spur Road. The culvert was in poor condition, fish passage was less than ideal and the potential existed for high-water events or debris flows to decimate the bridge. The project is on hold for the winter season.

Indian Creek Stewards: The ICS group, sponsored by HRWG, targets improvement in the very important and local Indian Creek basin which is a largely urban tributary to the Hood River.

The creek has become an important focus for various school and educational activities. Groups from CGCC, HRVHS, Klahre House, Horizon Christian School and May Street Elementary have done a number of projects aimed at improving water and habitat improvement in the basin.

Basin-wide pesticide monitoring: Hood River farmers have been proactive in their efforts to reduce pesticide contamination of waterways, and ongoing monitoring being conducted by DEQ has shown reductions in several chemicals.

Robinhood Creek Watershed Restoration: The project is a exemplary of HRWG’s cooperative work, and it’s a rare example of a public land manager tackling restoration of an entire sub-basin. In the case of Robinhood, the USFS went in, identified needs and completed a wide range of restoration activities including road and culvert removals, road storm-proofing, noxious weed treatments and timber thinning.

Elk Creek Large Woody Debris Addition: This CTWS project, done in cooperation with USFS, involved a half-mile reach, some within BPA power line right-of-way. The project increased the amount of large woody debris in the stream channel and flood plain, and 500 feet of an abandoned stream channel was reactivated. In all, 300 logs were used on the project.

Other ongoing HRWG projects include: Neal Creek riparian and channel improvements; Robinhood Campground floodplain enhancement projects; improving fish passage and fish screens on private, county, state, and federal lands; lower East Fork Hood River water quality, riparian area and fish habitat enhancement; water quality and quantity project implementation on agricultural lands; county, state and federal road design and maintenance; county, federal, timber company and small private forest road design and maintenance; lower Hood River and tributaries water quality and fish habitat enhancement; BPA power line stream crossing water quality and fish habitat enhancement; long-term baseline watershed monitoring for adaptive management; improvements to recreational trails; inventory, restoration and/or closure of dispersed streamside camping and OHV sites; clear Branch riparian reforestation – spillway reac; storm water retention and infiltration; City of Hood River water transmission main replacement; Eliot ditch pipeline conversion and Upper Clear Branch large wood placement.