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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

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In the Hood River watershed, two groups are working hard to preserve and protect our most precious natural resource
There is no shortage of moisture this time of year. Water will fall plentifully, if not relentlessly, from the sky for the next several months, thanks largely to wet winter storms rolling in off the Pacific. From now until mid-spring, reservoirs will be refreshed and snow packs will build at higher elevations; both vital processes for the rest of the years water supply throughout the Hood River Valley. In a community dependent on water, for both business and pleasure, having a steady supply is vital, and safeguarding it is important business. Farms served by three irrigation districts have for generations been the foundation of the local community and economy; and without a reliable, sustainable source of water, crops wouldnt

Working for
Story and Photos by ADAM LAPIERRE
survive a single summer. Several kinds of salmon, steelhead and trout are among the many fish species to call the valleys waters home. Threatened bull trout live in streams above Parkdale and chinook salmon, gaining numbers after being labeled extinct just a few decades ago, are again returning to spawn in the West Fork. Add the influences of things like the timber industry, livestock, property development, climate change, shrinking glaciers, aging infrastructure, unstable funding and the steady flow of outdoor recreation and it quickly becomes clear that keeping the Hood River watershed in good health is a daunting, but essential balancing act. Fortunately, there is no drought in terms of effort in fact, there seems to be a flood of it around here when it comes to paying attention, getting involved and getting hands dirty for the good of the watershed. Housed at the Oregon State University Extension Center, two local groups are dedicated wholly to that task.
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The Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District, incorporated in 1953, is one of 45 districts in Oregon established to promote and enhance local natural resources. HRSWCD includes all of the lands within the legal boundaries of Hood River County. Similar districts had been created long before in the 1930s in response to the soil erosion crisis of the Dust Bowl. Congress realized that conservation needs var-

ied greatly by region, and that local conservation districts could better help landowners with their specific challenges. To further its water-related goals, the district created the Hood River Watershed Group in 1993 to provide sponsorship, staff and fiscal oversight. With combined efforts, the two groups have either been in charge of or provided help to hundreds of conservation projects throughout the watershed; from education programs with elementary students, planting trees along streams and erecting raptor stands to helping with major tasks like the removal of Powerdale Dam. As the year comes to a close, both groups gave annual updates on their most recent developments. Here are summaries of just a few:

HRSWCD
PacifiCorps Powerdale Hydroelectric Project was officially decommissioned in fall of 2010. This year an agreement was signed by the three entities who will take ownership of 400 acres of land between the former dam and powerhouse known as the Powerdale Lands Corridor. When ownership is transferred in March 2012, Hood River County will own the land around the power house and former dam site, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will own a small parcel on the east side of the former dam site and the remainder will be signed over to Columbia Land Trust. All of the land will have conservation easements attached to protect fish and wildlife habitat, retain existing recreation uses and preserve tribal fishing rights.
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Longtime HRSWCD Manager Anne Saxby was recognized for her stewardship efforts with the Spirit of the Oregon Plan Award by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. Saxby, who has worked for the district since 1991, ANNE SAXBY was praised for her decisive and supportive leadership, her devotion to the region, and her ability to see the big picture.
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THE HOOD RIVER WATERSHED (top), as seen from the air, consists of lakes, rivers and streams on the north side of Mount Hood, roughly between Lost Lake and the west hills peaked by Mount Defiance and the east hills peaked by Bald Butte and Old Dalles Road. The watershed projects on this page are (clockwise from above) salmon acclimation ponds on the West Fork, decommissioning of Powerdale Dam, Megan Saunders helping with the Moving Falls (West Fork) stabilization project (submitted photo), Jerry Bryan explaining irrigation intake to Parkdale Elementary School students and the now-complete Indian Creek restoration project at the intersection of Barrett and Methodist roads.

The district is finishing its second year of a flow meter monitoring project to better gauge the Please see PROJECTS, Page B12

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Hood River News, Wednesday, November 30, 2011

PROJECTS
Continued from Page B1 water usage and savings associated with irrigation system upgrades. Thanks to a grant from OWEB and the support of East Fork, Middle Fork and Farmers irrigation districts, HRSWCD is currently monitoring water usage on 35 irrigation systems (218 acres). All but one of these farms still using conventional irrigation systems received small grant funds to upgrade their systems from handlines and impact sprinklers to micro or drip irrigation. Based on estimates, the average water use of a handline system is 797,520 gallons/acre/year. On average, about 400,000 gallons/acre/year are conserved with a micro or drip system over a conventional system.
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River County, ODFW and PLS parties during the transition of ownership of the Powerdale Lands Corridor.
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The HRWG entered into a partnership for planning implementation of a project on the lower Hood River that will restore floodplain area and a half-mile-long side channel modified by past railroad, road and pipeline activities. CRC will fund implementation as their Oregon mitigation requirement for impacts related to constructing the new I-5 bridge between Portland and Vancouver. Construction of the several-million-dollar project is expected during the summer 2013 work season.
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A $537,000 final phase Evans Creek project is currently 50 percent complete, and is part of a major effort to restore fish passage, improve habitat and enhance water quality for three ESAlisted fish in two major Hood River sub-basins. HRWG staff secured OWEB grant funding for the phase. Installation of the final 11,000 feet of pipeline is under way to replace 100year-old Glacier Ditch, and prevent an estimated 500 tons per year of sediment from entering the historically clear Evans Creek
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and summer passage for summer steelhead, spring chinook and coho. The dilapidated 23,918-foot Dee Flat Ditch system will be replaced with a new pipeline to prevent water losses. HRWG staff participated in development of the preliminary design and drafting of a successful OWEB grant application.
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is participating in engineering design reviews, project coordination meetings and beginning development of an OWEB funding application.
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A whole lot more:

This list of projects is just a slice of the pie. Both the HRSWCD and the HRWG are involved in a much larger array of work throughout the watershed. The groups also host a variety of regular classes, outings and other educational opportunities open to the public. For more information on projects, to find out how to get involved and see what else is going on in your backyard, visit www.hoodriverswcd.org.

The Dee Irrigation Ditch project addresses failures to meet West Fork Hood River minimum in-stream flows

The 100-plus-year-old East Fork Irrigation District diversion (push-up dam) on the East Fork Hood River is scheduled for replacement in 2012 to provide better upstream and downstream fish passage, improved East Fork flows and better water quality in both the river and irrigation system. HRWG staff

McGee Creek in the upper West Fork is historically prime spawning and rearing habitat for spring chinook and summer steelhead, but currently displays low instream LWD and poor floodplain interaction. This project seeks to increase large woody debris frequency, expand channel gravel collection and improve floodplain connections. HRWG staff assisted with pre-project stream surveys. The project was completed in July using a helicopter.

During the past year, the OWEB Small Grant team for Hood River County only met once, allocating the remaining $675 of $100,000 that it receives each biennium for watershed restoration projects in Hood River County The . $675 was matched with $2,361 in local contributions to restore half an acre of land along the Indian Creek trail by the Union Street substation, east of 12th Street. The area had been covered with non-native blackberries and knapweed. After the noxious weeds were removed, a contractor was hired to plant 625 native shrubs and trees. Volunteers then spread donated mulch over the area. The goal is to establish native vegetation that will out-compete the blackberries but wont require topping to stay below thes power lines. The Hood River Small Grant team is again accepting applications for on-theground restoration projects such as streamside fencing for livestock, manure storage facilities, fish passage improvements and irrigation system upgrades. The OWEB grant program requires a 25 percent match, which can be materials or in-kind labor.
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A failing bridge on Graham Creek was replaced with a repurposed bridge donated by FID. With the help of the district, USFS completed the Robinhood Creek Watershed Restoration Project which included log placement in and along the stream, road stormproofing, riparian forest thinning, culvert removal, and invasive plant eradication. USFS and CTWS implemented the Elk and McGee creeks enhancement project. In summer 2010, 250 logs were added in and along half a mile of Elk Creek. Work planned for 2012 includes culvert replacement, more large wood placement and riparian thinning. Fish passage at the Middle Fork Falls was restored by CTWS in August 2010. The falls were created during the debris torrent in 2006. A Spyder backhoe was used to remove a debris plug on one side of the falls. CTWS funded the project, with support from landowners, ODFW and other agencies. Spring chinook have returned above the falls. OWEB awarded $314,000 to MFID to fund phase 3 of the Evans Creek/Glacier Ditch piping project. Over two miles of canal will be piped, eliminating the contribution of glacial sediment from Eliot Branch to Evans Creek. CTWS continued the Hood River Production Program with acclimation of spring chinook and steelhead smolts. HRWG staff assisted with pond set-up and takedown, fish carcass placement and snorkel and spawning surveys.

Hood River Watershed Group

In 2010, the HRWG joined PacifiCorp, agencies and other entities in the successful removal of the 87 year-old Powerdale Hydroelectric Project on the lower Hood River. HRWG staff work during the biennium included providing PacifiCorp with restoration planting specifications, review of engineering documents, establishment and monitoring of three permanent photo stations, and acting as the local project outreach partner with PacifiCorp. HRWG is continuing to work with PacifiCorp, Columbia Land Trust, Hood