The Union Soil and Water Conservation District is seeking technical assistance funding to improve fish passage and flow conditions associated with two irrigation diversions structures on Little Creek near the town of Union, Oregon. The Israel- Ames (LC6) and Weaver Lane (LC5) diversion structures have been identified as potential fish migration barriers for adult and juvenile salmonids.

The Catherine Creek Tributary Assessment completed by the USBR in 2012 identified the middle and upper reaches of Little Creek that LC5 and LC6 occupy as critical spawning and rearing habitat for federally listed Summer Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Presently Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) have not been observed above either diversion structure. Little Creek is currently designated as a Tier 2 stream in the Atlas process. Creating passage at the LC5 and LC6 diversion structures will create the potential for over7 miles of additional spawning and rearing habitat for juvenile and adult salmonids.

From 2010 to 2013 the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) began collecting data on the LC5 and LC6 diversion structures which resulted in an Alternatives Evaluation Report (AER) for both diversion sites. Both ditch associations ultimately agreed to alternatives selected from that AER produced by the USBR in 2011 and voted to proceed with plans for diversion updates and construction of fish passage. The USWCD has indications that water users on both diversion structures are presently willing to move forward with plans for diversion updates and fish passage improvements. The USWCD is confident we will be successful in updating the 15% concepts produced by the USBR and finalizing a design that will be permittable, sustainable, and easily maintained at a reasonable cost.

The goal of this project is to help meet requirements of the 2008 Biological Opinion for the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS BiOp) for improving conditions for ESA-listed fish species by providing fish passage to important habitat in the Grande Ronde River and its tributaries. The output of this technical assistance funding will be implementation-ready designs which include: construction specifications and drawings, construction cost estimates, a Revegetation Plan, and environmental permits including: Oregon Removal/Fill permit and CWA Section 404 permit through the DSL/COE Joint Permit Application, NHPA Section 106 requirements, and DEQ Section 401 permit. Design development and completion is planned for 2021 with implementation anticipated to begin during the 2021 instream water work window.