The Umatilla Tribe Ceded Area Juvenile and Adult Passage Improvement Project goal is to provide safe passage for migrating juvenile and adult salmonids and other native species by removing passage obstructions or constructing and maintaining passage facilities at irrigation diversion dams, canals, and other passage barriers and screens. Inadequate passage and flow conditions during critical portions of both juvenile and adult fish migration and rearing life histories have contributed to the extirpation or decline of salmon, steelhead, Pacific lamprey, bull trout and other native fish populations across the CTUIR Aboriginal Title lands in Northeast Oregon and Southeast Washington.

Project efforts support the overall Fisheries Habitat Program goal to protect, enhance, and restore functional floodplain, channel, and watershed processes to provide sustainable and healthy habitat for aquatic First Food species (http://fisherieshabitat.ctuir.org/). Our Fisheries Habitat Program’s hierarchical approach to restoration strategic planning, project development and implementation, and monitoring is guided by the “First Foods” DNR Mission and Policy (Quaempts et al 2018), which identifies physical and ecological processes (“key touchstones”) of a highly functional watershed and dynamic river system important for providing water quality and fish habitat that supports First Foods integral for Tribal ceremonies and traditions (Umatilla River Vision, Jones et al. 2008; Upland Vision, Endress et al. 2019).

This project addresses longitudinal “connectivity,” and associated limiting factors and ecological concerns regarding anthropogenic fish passage barriers, entrainment, and associated habitat quantity. Passage projects are identified, collated and prioritized from subbasin and subwatershed strategic restoration plans, subbasin plans, recovery plans, State of Washington and Oregon fish passage priority lists, and regional and subbasin level stakeholder technical teams for implementation.

The 2009-026-00 Juvenile and Adult Passage Improvement Project was formerly project 1996-011-00 Walla Walla Juvenile and Adult Passage Improvements, then was briefly combined into 2007-396-00. Following signing of the 2008 Columbia Basin Fish Accords, the Umatilla Tribe portion was split out into two separate contracts. Initially, 1996-011-00 was used, then became new project 2009-026-00. In 2008, BPA also set up an additional project 2008-201-00, Umatilla Tribe Ceded Land Culvert and Passage Implementation. The two projects were combined in 2018 into one project 2009-026-00 and renamed Umatilla Tribe Ceded Area Juvenile and Adult Passage Improvement Project covering the CTUIR Ceded Area including Walla Walla, Umatilla, North Fork John Day, Grande Ronde, and Tucannon subbasins.

Since project inception in 1996, we have made significant contributions to resolving fish passage impacts in the Walla Walla River subbasin and other CTUIR Ceded Area tributaries. Within the Walla Walla subbasin we removed two major diversion dams, constructed or upgraded eight fish ladders at major diversion dams, four ditch consolidations, constructed nine diversion-fish screens and provided funding in support of 427 additional fish screens, multiple stream channel improvements in lower Mill Creek and mainstem Walla Walla River in Corps-built flood control project areas, and several passage evaluations. We have also replaced or upgraded three bridges/culverts in the upper Grande Ronde basin, removed two major dams and replaced or upgraded two bridges/culverts in the Umatilla basin, and upgraded and replaced three culverts in North Fork John Day subbasins.

During 2025, the project worked on several moderate-sized, inter-agency passage barriers with other partners. Examples include providing technical input for CTUIR projects at Nursery Bridge, Mill Creek Gose Street fish ladder, Elmer Dam Catherine Creek, and the CTUIR Fish Facility on Catherine Creek (RM 42.5).  In addition, the project worked on the engineering design to remove fish barriers in Coonskin Creek on the CTUIR Reservation and continued planning and design work to address other barriers associated with the same City of Pendleton Water Pipeline.

During 2026, the proposed activities include: Coonskin Creek fish barrier removal and stream re-alignment, initiating engineering designs and permitting for culverts and pipeline removal in Moonshine Creek, and initiating engineering designs and permitting for a diversion dam and bridge replacement at Birch Creek Peterson Trust Dam. Lastly, project staff continue to provide technical assistance and outyear planning guidance for the CTUIR fish facility on Catherine Creek, Mill Creek Gose Street fish passage project, Nursery Bridge notch, and the removal of fish passage barriers across the CTUIR Reservation and other basins (Umatilla, Grande Rhonde, Walla Walla, Tucannon, and John Day).