Author: James Kraft, Executive Director
I want to share with you the story of Loup Loup Creek, an important tributary to the Okanogan River for threatened steelhead. Irrigation diversions caused the creek to run dry in the late summer for nearly a century.
Washington Water Trust, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Helensdale Reclamation District recognized the need to restore flows and habitat for steelhead and collaborated on a solution.
WWT Program Director Greg McLaughlin observes summer streamflow in Loup Loup Creek at a culvert replacement site in August 2023.
In 2012, Washington Water Trust reached a 20-year water lease agreement under which the reclamation district agreed to stop diverting irrigation water from Loup Loup Creek. This agreement protects critical water instream and puts an end to the creek’s dry summers until 2032. Loup Loup Creek now flows year-round for steelhead.
Additional restoration efforts complement the sustained flows in Loup Loup Creek. Around the time the lease agreement went into effect, the Colville Tribes removed two perched culverts to give steelhead access to 2.2 miles of quality habitat. And just this year, they completed another series of passage projects that opened an additional five miles of habitat for fish.
The Colville Tribes led the replacement of passage-blocking culverts in 2012, which helped to open up two miles of upstream habitat for steelhead.
The Colville Tribes’ surveys over the past twelve years show dramatically increased juvenile steelhead numbers. Loup Loup Creek has been transformed from a dry creek bed with no fish in many years into one of the most productive steelhead streams in the Okanogan Basin.
Farmers who depend on Loup Loup Creek for irrigation are still getting the water they need. The Helensdale Reclamation District used funds from the water lease agreement and additional funds from the Colville Tribes to upgrade their pump station, cover operation and maintenance costs, and improve their water delivery system. These updates allow farmers to use the Okanogan River, which is a larger river better able to handle irrigation withdrawals. It is a true win-win situation.
WWT Program Director Greg McLaughlin observing streamflow in Loup Loup Creek.
Seeing the success that has resulted from these efforts, WWT and the Colville Tribes are working hard to ensure steelhead continue to have enough water and access to upstream habitat. Together, we are seeking opportunities for irrigation efficiency upgrades and are in talks with the Helensdale Reclamation District to extend the water lease agreement beyond 2032.
Our hope is that through continued collaboration, Loup Loup Creek can remain a haven for steelhead, and its story should inspire streamflow conservation efforts in the Okanogan Basin long into the future.
The Helensdale Reclamation District project was made possible by a grant through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation from the Bonneville Power Administration’s Accord Agreement with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.
