Three Sisters Irrigation District: Cloverdale Lateral

Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Acquisition

Instream Flow
Project IDOWEB 220-8200-18650
Recovery DomainsMiddle Columbia River
Start Date03/12/2020
End Date10/04/2024
Year2017
StatusCompleted
Last Edited05/02/2025
 
1 - 1

Description    


Whychus Creek is located in Deschutes and Jefferson counties in Central Oregon and is a tributary to the Deschutes River upstream of Lake Billy Chinook.
Irrigation diversions historically dewatered Whychus Creek during the summer months, drying the Creek in 2 out of 3 years, hampering resident fish populations and limiting the viability of efforts to reestablish anadromous fish populations in the upper Deschutes Basin. Seasonal low flows and high temperatures have long been limiting factors on Whychus Creek.
The Deschutes River Conservancy (DRC) and TSID have partnered to restore streamflow to Whychus Creek since 2005 by piping TSID’s open earth canals to reduce seepage and evaporation loss. TSID transfers all water conserved from piping to instream use through Oregon’s conserved water statute with an 1895 priority date, permanently protecting 0.33 cubic feet per second. The resulting instream water right helps meet the state instream water right—and DRC’s streamflow target from April to October each year, improving conditions for reintroduced steelhead and native redband trout. This Cloverdale project pipes the final non-private canal in TSID culminating close to 20 years of effort to pipe TSID’s open ditches and protect water in Whychus Creek. Conserved water project CW-137 was finalized by the Oregon Water Resources Department and a new instream water right certificate was issued. TSID continues work on private landowner piping projects within the district and promotes irrigation efficiency, measurement, metering. The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council removed the final fish passage barrier on Whychus Creek in 2021 and TSID continues to increase annual instream leasing and protected flows.
PCSRF FFY 2017 funds were expended on project costs incurred during the PCSRF FFY 2017 contract award period and State funds were used to complete the project. Because the projects scheduled end date was after the PCSRF FFY 2017 award closed, no funds allocated for this project were reported as match to PCSRF funds.

Project Benefit    


Flow restoration in Whychus Creek plays a critical role in the success of the salmon and steelhead reintroduction efforts currently underway in the Deschtues Basin and the broader effort to de-list and recover Mid-Columbia steelhead. It is one of several streams that comprise the Deschutes River Westside Population identified by the National Marine Fisheries Service in their Middle Columbia River Steelhead Recovery Plan.

Based on the most recent progress report published by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2011, the Deschutes River Westside population is a high risk population. High risk is defined as having a greater than 25% probability of extinction over a 100-year time period. The Recovery Plan and progress report identify primary limiting factors for viability and recovery. The habitat-related factors include altered hydrology (low flows), degraded water quality (high water temperature), degraded channel structure and complexity, degraded floodplain connectivity and function, and impaired or blocked fish passage.

Based on the population goals of the Recovery Plan and the primary limiting factors that it identifies, flow restoration in Whychus Creek is an essential action necessary to achieve viability thresholds within the major population group and achieve de-listing of Mid-Columbia steelhead. The proposed TSID Cloverdale lateral piping project and the broader suite of DRC flow restoration actions in Whychus Creek will improve each of the limiting factors for habitat. Enhanced flows help maintain cooler stream temperatures, support healthy riparian plant communities, provide necessary flows to connect off-channel habitat and floodplains to the stream, and ensure adequate water depths for migrating smolts and adults so they can access the habitat they need to satisfy their various life history requirements.

Accomplishments

Metric Completed Originally
Proposed

Funding Details

SourceFunds
PCSRF$25,062
State$112,500
Other$37,500
In-Kind Other$419,000
Report Total:$594,062


Project Map



Worksites

60933417    


  • Worksite Identifier: 60933417
  • Start Date:
  • End Date:
Area Description

No Area Description data was found for this worksite.

Location Information

  • Basin: Deschutes (170703)
  • Subbasin:
  • Watershed:
  • Subwatershed:
  • State: Oregon
  • Recovery Domain: Middle Columbia River
  • Latitude: 44.30279253
  • Longitude: -121.4577203

ESU

  • Middle Columbia River Steelhead DPS

Map

Photos

Metrics

Metrics
  • C.0 Salmonid Habitat Restoration and AcquisitionY (Y/N)
    •      . . C.0.a Habitat restoration and acquisition funding 594,062.00
    •      . . C.0.b Length of stream treated/protected 27.50
    •      . . C.0.c
      Project identified in a Plan or Watershed Assessment
      National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Region, 2009-11-01, Middle Columbia River Steelhead Distinct Population Segment ESA Recovery Plan; Northwest Power and Conservation Council, 2004-01-01, Northwest Power and Conservation Council Deschutes Subbasin Plan; Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2010-02-01, Conservation and Recovery Plan for Oregon Steelhead Populations in the Middle Columbia River Steelhead Distinct Population Segment;
    •      . . C.0.d.1 Project Monitoring (LOV)
    •      . . C.0.d.2 Monitoring Location (LOV)
    •      . . C.3 Instream Flow ProjectY (Y/N)
      •      . . . . C.3.a Instream Flow Funding 594,062.00
      •      . . . . C.3.b Length of stream 'protected' for adequate flow 27.50
      •      . . . . C.3.c Change in water flow.33 (cfs)
      •      . . . . C.3.e.1 Irrigation practice improvementY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . . . C.3.e.2 Acre feet of water conserved per year140.1 (Acre feet)
        •      . . . . . . C.3.e.3 cfs (cubic feet per second) of water conserved.33 (cfs)
        •      . . . . . . C.3.e.4 Initial start date of action or agreement05/01/2024 (mm/dd/yyyy)
        •      . . . . . . C.3.e.5 Final end date of action or agreement12/31/9999 (mm/dd/yyyy)