| Deschutes SIP |
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| Overview |
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In January of 2008, the OWEB Board allocated $4 million for the Deschutes Special Investment Partnership. The goal of this SIP is to re-establish anadromous fish runs and enhance resident fish populations in the main stem and in tributary streams on both the eastside and the westside of the Deschutes basin, including the Crooked River subbasin. Anadromous fish populations were eliminated by a number of factors, chief among them, the construction of a series of dams and reservoirs, with Pelton and Round Butte Dams (1964) forming the lowest (in elevation) of the fish passage barriers on the Deschutes River mainstem.
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100 years of channelization and stream-side development has impacted eleven miles of Whychus Creek, a tributary of the Deschutes River.
Several partners are working together on a multi-year project to reconnect and restore the historic channel flowing through Camp Polk northeast of Sisters. The partners expect to restore a 1.7 mile reach of Whychus Creek which will provide spawning and rearing habitat for resident and anadromous fish and create 35 acres of wetland.
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The Deschutes partners have been active for some time in developing and implementing projects related to habitat restoration, flow enhancement, passage barrier removal, irrigation intake screening, and other projects supportive of anadromous fish reintroduction. The Deschutes Partnership Agreement was signed by OWEB, Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, Crooked River Watershed Council, Deschutes Basin Land Trust, and Deschutes River Conservancy. Of the twenty seven projects identified as immediate priorities, six projects have been awarded to date.
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| Project Area |
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Map prepared by: Deb Quinlan / Deschutes GeoGraphics
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| Projects Awarded or Pending Award to Date |
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Lower Crooked River Fish Passage and Protection Program – Funded for $420,000. Nine vertical rotary drum screens that no longer meet NOAA Fisheries and ODFW screening criteria will be replaced at the North Unit Irrigation District Crooked River Pumping Plant diversion.
Lake Creek Culvert Removal Project – Funded for $69,430. The project focuses on removal of a culvert to enhance migration and spawning for Chinook, sockeye, bull trout and redband trout in a tributary of the Metolius River. Culvert removal eliminates a significant erosion hazard and creates improved floodplain access for Lake Creek.
McKenzie Canyon Black Butte Canal Irrigation Efficiency Project Phase 1 & 2 – Funded for $656,266. This canal piping project will permanently restore and legally protect 2.4 cfs instream to be held in trust by the State of Oregon.
Whychus Creek Restoration at Camp Polk – Funded for $830,098. To benefit spawning and rearing for resident and anadromous fish 1.7 miles of stream channel will be restored at the Camp Polk Meadow Preserve. This project includes more than 200,000 native plants and 30 acres wetlands created, and an increase of a half a mile of channel length.
Ochoco Creek Stream Enhancement and Greenway Expansion – Funded for $209,346. Three miles of the Lower Crooked River through the City of Prineville Urban Growth Boundary will be improved. The project will involve removing or lowering levees, constructing off-channel habitat for fish rearing and flood refugia, bank stabilization to reduce erosion, and riparian reforestation.
Whychus Creek Restoration Project (Phase 1) - Funded for $79,860. Approximately one mile of stream channel will be restored to improve spawning and rearing habitat for resident and anadromous fish within the City of Sisters urban growth boundary. The project will result in Whychus Creek being restored throughout the urban area, resulting in significant benefits to steelhead, redband trout, riparian condition, and water quality.
Three Sisters Irrigation District Diversion – Funded for $22,000. Several groups are working together on a comprehensive restoration design for the Three Sisters Irrigation District's (TSID) diversion on Whychus Creek near Sisters. The design will improve fish passage and stream function in the ¼ mile diversion reach.
Crooked River Central Diversion – Funded for $773,980. This diversion dam four miles west of the City of Prineville will be completely reconstructed and a fish passage structure will be added. The seasonal flashboard dam constructed in 1927 will be replaced with an Obermeyer inflatable weir to automatically maintain pool elevation.
Peoples Irrigation District Diversion – Funded for $38,000. A ‘nature-like’ fish passage structure will be constructed at the diversion that currently blocks passage east of Prineville. The structure will contain boulders, cobble, gravel, and large wood. Weirs will facilitate upstream and downstream migration.
TSID Main Canal – Funded for $21,477. This project will produce a seepage loss analysis and water conservation design on 3.7 miles of the TSID irrigation canal. The canal diverts water from Whychus Creek near Sisters and has a high seepage loss due to permeable soils.
Spring Creek Easement – Funded for $300,000. Loss and degradation of wetland and riparian habitats is a major concern within the Metolius basin due to residential and resort development. This easement on private property will protect the headwaters of Spring Creek and important habitat for anadromous fish species.
NUID Canal Lining – Funded for $99,884. The North Unit Irrigation District’s (NUID) canal diverts water from the Deschutes River near Bend, runs across high desert, and then joins the Crooked River near Smith Rock. The design will address low streamflow conditions which are a major limiting factor for stream temperature, fish habitat, gravel recruitment, and riparian habitat conditions in these reaches.
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| Supporting Documents |
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Staff reports supporting the formation of the Deschutes SIP
September 18-19, 2007
January 16-17, 2008
Attachments
May 20-21, 2008
September 16-17, 2008
January 21-22, 2009
A Complete list of objectives and potential projects (PDF).
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