Walla Walla Watershed Council outlines restoration projects, funding challenges to Umatilla County

Michelle McClellan, executive director of the Walla Walla Watershed Council, told Umatilla County commissioners on Oct. 12 that the council is advancing stream and spring restoration work across the basin while facing multi‑year permitting and grant challenges.

McClellan said the council is focusing on tributary habitat improvements, spring mapping and a long‑standing alluvial aquifer recharge program that did not operate last year because the council’s temporary water right application remains under state review. “Our application has been held up in the review level for 18 months now,” McClellan said during a roughly 30‑ to 40‑minute presentation. She also described a recent change in grant payment schedules by the Oregon Department of Agriculture that shifts many grantees from a 50/50 payment model to a 90/10 front‑loaded payment, creating cash‑flow stress for nonprofits.

Tara Patton, deputy director, summarized the council’s on‑the‑ground work: “Our projects are…to improve watershed health while at the same time supporting agriculture and a sustainable economy,” she said. The council staff described projects on Cal Creek, the North Fork Walla Walla River, Dry Creek and Lower Pine Creek; a spring inventory and base‑flow assessment in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the city of Walla Walla; and an effort to support dryland agricultural producers through technical assistance with the Umatilla Soil and Water Conservation District.

The council highlighted engineered log jams and rock structures placed in the North Fork following the 2020 flood, and said snorkel surveys and redd counts in restored reaches found fish using the new habitat. McClellan cautioned that monitoring is early and does not yet prove population-scale increases but said the habitat is being used by multiple age classes of salmonids.

On groundwater recharge, staff said the council’s five‑year temporary water right is up for renewal and that the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) review has taken longer than prior renewals because of an influx of applications and a change in some irrigation‑district participation. The delay prevented recharge operations around Milton‑Freewater in the past year.

The council also announced a new endowment at the Blue Mountain Community Foundation intended to provide unrestricted operating funds; McClellan said that step is intended to reduce the organization’s dependence on competitive grants. Staff described outreach efforts including a bilingual website update, an October 21 advisory committee open house at Whitman College, a service day with Walla Walla University and youth education programs funded by the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund and the Oregon Community Foundation.

Commissioners asked for a short written recap about the OWRD permit status; McClellan said the council’s steward in Salem is Mary Bjork and that she will request an update and share a bullet‑point recap with the county.

Why it matters: the council’s work supports summertime stream flow and aquatic habitat for resident and anadromous fish while intersecting with farm operations and water‑supply infrastructure in Umatilla County and the broader Walla Walla basin. Delays in state permitting and changes to grant disbursement policies affect the council’s ability to implement projects on private land and to operate recharge sites.

The council did not seek or receive any formal county action during the presentation; commissioners asked staff to accept a written update on the OWRD permit and directed no other formal motions.

McClellan and Patton closed by inviting commissioners and the public to upcoming outreach events and said the council will continue work on project monitoring, irrigation partnerships and dryland agriculture support.