Touchet River, Walla Walla Basin

"Deal with trust adds water for Touchet steelhead"

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For Release On: April 26, 2010

Collaboration in Walla Walla Basin Benefits Both Farms and Fish

Washington Water Trust Brokers Historic Deal, Creates Win-Win for Agriculture and Endangered Species on the Touchet River

WALLA WALLA, WA — Washington Water Trust (WWT), a nonprofit working to restore rivers and streams in Washington state, announced today a landmark collaboration with Prescott, WA area farmer, Melvin Talbott, that will restore flows to the Touchet River, marking the largest purchase of water for instream flow restoration ever in the Walla Walla Basin.

“This collaboration is a win-win for the landowner, the fish and the farms of the Touchet Valley,” said Amanda Cronin, WWT project manager. “It’s proof that partnerships like this, which are voluntary and market-based, really do work.”

As part of the agreement, the 385-acre Mr. Talbott will grow dry-land wheat instead of irrigated wheat allowing endangered fish to receive lifesaving stream flow during the spring and fall, which are prime spawning seasons. Mr. Talbott said of the agreement, “I was happy to help out the local stream, but it worked for me too because I could still raise dry-land wheat and keep my farm in production.”

Up to 3 cubic feet per second (which equates to about 1.9 million gallons per day) in the Touchet River will be protected permanently for fish, while agricultural land remains in
production. This agreement permanently protects 387.3 acre feet of water annually and, most years, will benefit approximately 31 miles of river habitat for fish and wildlife.

Gary James, CTUIR Fisheries Program Manager said, “The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) is sponsoring a major instream flow restoration project with the US Army COE and we are also one of the sponsors of this water purchase. The tribes strongly support this project because of the benefits it will directly provide to juvenile salmon and steelhead as they migrate out to the ocean and to adult salmon and steelhead as they return up the Walla Walla River. This effort, when viewed in combination with the many other water, fish passage and habitat enhancement projects represent a significant step towards restoration of water and fisheries resources in the Walla Walla Basin.”

The Touchet River is crucial habitat for endangered bull trout and steelhead. In many years, low flows and high temperatures especially in the spring limit downstream migration of juvenile steelhead and upstream migration of adult steelhead who return to the headwaters of the Touchet to spawn.

Thanks to this agreement, improved stream flows during a critical period of the year and lower temperatures in turn will improve habitat for wild bull trout and wild steelhead, as well as reintroduced spring Chinook salmon. Increased stream flow in the Touchet River is particularly critical during drought years when mountain snowpack is below average, as we are experiencing in 2010.

The water purchase was funded by Washington State Department of Ecology and the Bonneville Power Administration through the Columbia Basin Water Transactions Program.

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News From the Department of Ecology

The Department of Ecology has developed new web pages to explain the three programs that support the emerging Water Market in Washington state.  You can see the pages for the Trust Water Rights Program, the Water Acquisition Program and Water Banking at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/market/market.html

Public notice of some types of Trust Water rights is not required in local newspapers but posting notice on our Web site is recommended under RCW 90.42.040. When a Trust Water Right is accepted by Ecology, if it is the result of a Donation or Trust Water Right Short-term Lease, the public notice will be posted under the following authority: 
 
“For a trust water right donation described in RCW 90.42.080 (1)(b), or for a trust water right lease described in RCW 90.24.080(8) that does not exceed five years, the department may post equivalent information on its web site to meet the notice requirements…” [RCW 90.42.040 (5)(c)]

The law does not require Ecology to publicize our public notices on the Web and budget cuts this biennium prevent Ecology from paying for newspaper advertising for public notices, but we are asking WRAC members to help us take an extra step in notifying stakeholders of our Web “publishing.”   

The new Trust Water Rights Program Web page provides a link to the new Web page for public notices. On that page, letters of acceptance which will serve as public notices for donations will be posted for a required two weeks of publication, and will remain for 30 days after the required 2-week period.  The public notice for short-term leases will be similar to those that have been published in newspapers, and will be posted on the web for 2 weeks, and will also remain another 30 days for comments.  We will post the report of examination for the leases when they are completed.

If you would like to comment on these changes you may do so at:

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/market/trstdocs.html

For any questions call:

Dan Partridge
Communications manager
Water Resources Program
Washington Department of Ecology
360-407-7139

Taneum Creek/Bruton Ditch Project

"Salmon return Taneum Creek"

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 "Dam gone, coho salmon back in Taneum Creek"

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"New Salmon Run" - KAPP 35 Yakima

"Dam Removed on Yakima River Tributary"

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"Historic run: Coho re-enter Taneum Creek"

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