Umatilla Basin Project

Umatilla Basin Project
Name	Umatilla Basin Project
Location	Umatilla County, Oregon; Morrow County, Oregon; Hermiston, Oregon
Coordinates	45°50′N 119°17′W
Constructed	1908–1960s
Operator	United States Bureau of Reclamation
Reservoirs	McKay Reservoir, Cold Springs Reservoir, Stanfield Reservoir, West Extension Irrigation District
Purpose	Irrigation, flood control, municipal water supply, fishery mitigation

Umatilla Basin Project is a multi-purpose water development program in northeast Oregon administered by the United States Bureau of Reclamation that provides irrigation, municipal water, and fishery mitigation in the Umatilla River watershed. The project interacts with federal entities such as the Bonneville Power Administration and regional agencies including the Umatilla County government and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. It coordinates with state bodies like the Oregon Water Resources Department and conservation organizations such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy.

Overview

The project serves irrigated agriculture across the Umatilla Indian Reservation boundary areas, supports municipal supply for communities like Hermiston, Oregon and Pendleton, Oregon, and provides habitat improvements for anadromous fish species controlled under statutes like the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Water storage and diversion works constructed under the auspices of the Reclamation Act of 1902 and subsequent authorizations integrate with regional hydroelectric operations at projects such as McNary Dam on the Columbia River and coordinate with Columbia Basin treaty obligations under the Treaty of 1855 (Walla Walla Council). The project influences land use across Umatilla County, Oregon and the Columbia Plateau physiographic province.

History and Development

Initial reclamation concepts emerged alongside early 20th-century irrigation initiatives promoted by figures linked to the Reclamation Service; construction dates span from initial canalization and reservoir work in the 1900s to mid-20th-century expansions tied to wartime and postwar growth. Key milestones include the establishment of storage at McKay Reservoir and the later completion of Cold Springs and West Extension works under authorizations influenced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt era programs and later U.S. Congress appropriations. The project negotiated water rights and settlement arrangements with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and was influenced by court decisions emanating from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon and state adjudications involving the Oregon Water Resources Department.

Federal policy shifts during the administrations of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and President Lyndon B. Johnson affected funding and construction priorities, while environmental litigation and species protection actions involving agencies like the National Marine Fisheries Service and litigants including tribal governments prompted fish passage and habitat mitigation programs. Partnerships with local irrigation districts such as the West Extension Irrigation District shaped operational governance and contractual water delivery obligations.

Facilities and Infrastructure

Primary storage and conveyance features include McKay Reservoir, Cold Springs diversion facilities, the Umatilla River channel improvements, and a network of canals and laterals serving districts including Stanfield Irrigation District. Works constructed or operated by the Bureau of Reclamation interconnect with federal works at Bonneville Dam and McNary Dam for basin-wide coordination. Pumping plants, fish screens, and fish ladders link to facilities overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers (United States) in regional migratory pathways. Municipal intakes for cities like Hermiston, Oregon and Umatilla, Oregon draw from project-managed supplies augmented by groundwater wells regulated by the Oregon Water Resources Department.

Operational governance rests with contracts under the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 and maintenance arrangements with local irrigation entities such as the West Extension Irrigation District and private stakeholders in agricultural supply chains tied to commodities marketed through hubs like Port of Umatilla.

Water Supply and Management

Water management balances irrigation allocations for commodities such as wheat and potatoes sold through markets connected to Portland, Oregon and Tri-Cities, Washington with instream flows maintained for salmonid migration protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Seasonal storage scheduling coordinates with the Columbia Basin hydrograph influenced by snowpack in the Blue Mountains (Oregon) and precipitation regimes monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Water rights adjudication interacts with tribal reserved rights asserted under the Winters Doctrine and settlement frameworks negotiated with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Drought contingency planning incorporates federal drought response mechanisms coordinated with the United States Department of the Interior and state drought protocols administered by the Oregon Water Resources Department, while water conservation programs engage entities like the Natural Resources Conservation Service to promote efficiency technologies and rotational fallowing agreements with irrigation districts.

Environmental and Fishery Considerations

Fishery mitigation has been central since declines in Chinook salmon, steelhead, and coho salmon triggered consultations under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and resulting biological opinions by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Habitat restoration projects involve riparian revegetation, fish ladder construction, and screening of diversion intakes implemented in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and non-governmental organizations such as The Nature Conservancy. Water temperature control and flow augmentation actions align with recovery plans developed by regional salmon recovery entities and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

Environmental review processes have referenced statutes including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and engaged stakeholders such as the Environmental Protection Agency, local conservation districts, and academic researchers from institutions like Oregon State University studying watershed ecology and anadromous fish life histories.

Recreation and Socioeconomic Impacts

Reservoirs and corridors created by project reservoirs provide recreational amenities supported by state agencies such as the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and local tourism businesses in Hermiston, Oregon and Pendleton, Oregon, offering boating, angling for species like largemouth bass and migratory waterfowl hunting. Economic impacts extend to irrigated agriculture supply chains that link growers to processors and distribution centers in Portland, Oregon and Yakima Valley. Social and cultural dimensions include tribal subsistence practices of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and community planning coordinated with county governments like Umatilla County, Oregon and Morrow County, Oregon.

Category:Water projects in Oregon