Walla Walla project is first to tap water storage funds
OLYMPIA – After nearly a century of bone-dry summers, the Walla Walla River is in the midst of a comeback that’s kept the water flowing and allowed native fish to return in modest numbers.
But for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla and their partners in the river basin, the handful of steelhead and salmon splashing around in the river are just the beginning.
The tribal government, based just across the border in northeastern Oregon, has aligned with farmers and environmentalists to seek more than $50 million from Washington state’s new water storage initiative.
They’re the first to formally ask for a slice of the new money and are fairly confident their request will be approved.
The Walla Walla project, state Ecology Director Jay Manning said, appears to have the twin benefits that policy-makers were looking for: It’s good for fish, and it doesn’t hurt the agricultural economy.
That a tribal government was so far ahead in requesting the money also is significant because many tribes were upset at not getting a seat at the Legislature’s negotiations, Manning said.
“They’re just critical partners, and I really think that this program works if the tribes are engaged in a constructive way and will likely fail if they (aren’t),” Manning said. “It’s that simple.”
Water users and conservationists have been battling for decades over water rights for the Columbia River and its tributaries, with one side seeking more water for communities and commerce while the other fights for sufficient water for threatened fish runs.
A new water storage plan has been in the works since 2001, when former Gov. Gary Locke announced the Columbia River Initiative. Lawmakers approved the final deal earlier this year.
The $200 million program seeks to make more water available by increasing storage in new reservoirs. Two-thirds of the water would go to users like farmers and cities, and one-third would go back to the river for fish.
The Umatilla tribes – which have treaty rights on the Washington side of the border – are first asking for $400,000 to complete an Army Corps of Engineers study on their leading alternatives.
The final project will likely either be a new reservoir on Pine Creek, a tributary in Oregon, or a system of pumps, pipes and canals that will replace irrigation draws with water from the Columbia. The $50 million would be Washington state’s share of the overall construction price, which is estimated to cost at least $250 million.
For tribal officials, the project is a long-term solution. Under a “real aggressive timeline,” Congress would approve and help pay for the eventual project in 2009, sparking up to 10 years of construction, said Rick George, the tribal government’s environmental manager.
The return of salmon to the river could well be one of the most culturally significant events for the tribes since the arrival of settlers and the beginning of irrigation. For tribal leaders like Kathryn Brigham, secretary for the tribal board of trustees, the impact of being able to resume traditional fishing is difficult to put into words.
“When we are able to go out and do our fishing,” she said, “it’s really good because not only are we teaching our children our culture and our way of life, but we’re also planning for the next seven generations.”