Omak Creek Groundwater Supplementation - Phase I

All proposed components of the feasibility study were completed by October 2002. Results from the study indicated the volume of water available from groundwater supplementation would not be adequate to significantly reduce peak day stream temperature. The study, however, yielded data that will help the Colville Tribes more effectively target riparian restoration activities on this section of Omak Creek. Omak Creek particularly important because it is the only Okanogan River tributary on the U.S. side of the border (the Okanogan River Basin rests in both Canada and the U.S.) that has not been significantly altered by human activities. The Colville Tribes are focusing substantial efforts on systematically addressing limiting factors in Omak Creek as part of their overall salmon restoration actions.

Cooler water temperatures in the lower 4-miles of Omak Creek would improve steelhead and summer chinook spawning and rearing habitat