Projects \ HCP

HCP

The Walla Walla River Irrigation District (WWRID), Hudson Bay District Improvement Company (HBDIC), and Gardena Farms Irrigation District No. 13 (GFID) (collectively, "the Districts") in eastern Oregon and Washington have been working since 2001 with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) ("Services") to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The HCP is focused to cover the incidental take of bull trout and summer steelhead, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The Walla Walla Bi-State HCP is underway to identify specific steps to ensure the continued existence and aid in the recovery of the listed species, while offering long-term, cost-effective ESA compliance certainty to water users and helping to ensure continuation of the vibrant agricultural economy within the basin. Since it began, the Walla Walla HCP process has had a positive impact by addressing difficult water issues, avoiding litigation, and bringing together several organizations in Oregon and Washington to work toward a bi-state solution for Bull Trout and Summer Steelhead.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

In the summer and fall of 2000, under the leadership of Walla Walla County (Washington) and the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council (Oregon), individuals and entities within the basin organized a bi-State work group to take steps towards a basinwide HCP. The work group developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in consultation with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and national and state wide environmental groups. A Bi-State Coordinating Committee of stakeholders, water users, environmentalists and governments was formed to lead this effort (Coordinating Committee Minutes).

Early work focused on developing a set of near-term actions to implement while the HCP was being developed. These included actions by WWRID, HBDIC and GFID to forego some irrigation to maintain streamflow in portions of the Walla Walla mainstem that prior to 2000 had annually gone dry. Other basin entities contributed through development of a program to install adequate fish screens on irrigation diversions, increased irrigation efficiencies, establishment of riparian buffers, instream flow contributions, removal of fish passage barriers, maintenance of instream habitat structures, and upland activities that address sedimentation problems (Washington Habitat Project website).

Once the HCP had defined the scope of the proposed action with measures specific to geographic areas within the basin, scoping began for the NEPA process. A Notice of Intent to conduct public scoping meetings, as required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), was published in the Federal Register on November 15, 2005. Five scoping meetings were held in November 2005. The primary purpose of the scoping process was for the public to assist the Services in identifying important issues and alternatives related to the proposed action. All comments and materials received, including names and addresses, were made part of the administrative record and can be viewed in the NEPA documentation. After initial scoping, continued efforts were made for public input garnered through the HCP participants and the general public. A working draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was prepared, including an analysis of direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of the proposed HCP. Comments from the working draft EIS were analyzed and the response will be included in a Final EIS which will be issued with a Record of Decision and published concurrently with the final HCP document.

NEXT STEPS:

Grant funding for this effort expired in 2009 with HCP related tasks and activities still underway and expected to continue in 2010 and beyond. There is currently a pause in the funded HCP effort; however, continued work on this effort outside of the grant is occurring as basin interests continue to work towards an HCP negotiated solution, or other cooperative solutions to instream flow and ESA fish concerns in the basin.
  • Negotiation efforts initiated in Spring 2009 focused on development of a “bridge document” or interim agreement among USFWS, NOAA/NMFS, and the District applicants as a means to identify interim conservation measures and formally document District ESA compliance efforts while the HCP effort continues. The “bridge document” in draft form was offered to District applicants for review, and the Districts are preparing response comments.
  • Efforts continue to coordinate HCP development efforts and Walla Walla basin flow enhancement feasibility study underway by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). From meetings held with CTUIR in mid-2009, the Districts and Services are expecting completion of the flow enhancement feasibility study draft EIS in 2010. This increased coordination with the HCP and flow feasibility study provides a more comprehensive approach at flow enhancement and is expected to be mutually supportive of both the HCP and the feasibility study objectives for expanding basin flow enhancement efforts. Future negotiations among the Services and Districts will benefit from this comprehensive flow enhancement approach and expanded participation. When the feasibility study draft EIS is published in 2010, additional specific integration opportunities between the proposed HCP conservation measures and feasibility study preferred alternative can better inform HCP negotiations between the Services and Districts.
  • District efforts to conserve water through irrigation efficiencies and piping projects, as well as protecting conserved water in trust, are continuing with plans to expand conserved water within the next year. Completion of these multi-phase conservation projects will position the Services and Districts to negotiate conservation measures based on updated conditions in 2010.

The longer timeframe needed to complete the negotiations, along with the timing of the other efforts described above, leaves the grant-funded HCP process paused in 2010. But the continuation of HCP discussions will benefit from working in coordination with the efforts above, and will lead to the ultimate success of this unique HCP development effort with potential to become a model for other watersheds in the west and other areas in the country in terms of developing comprehensive, basin-wide approaches for reducing or eliminating the take of salmonid species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

If you have any questions, please contact Cathy Schaeffer.