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Upper John Day River Flow and Protection Project

County: Grant

Primary Resource Concern:

  • Source water depletion - Inefficient irrigation water use
  • Aquatic habitat - Aquatic habitat for fish and other organisms

Project Description
The John Day River Flow and Protection Project seeks to improve irrigation efficiency to conserve water and increase flow while enhancing and improving overall watershed health. Additionally, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon and its partners seek to address inadequate habitat for fish and wildlife. Planned project components include irrigation efficiency improvements, irrigation ditch piping, diversion and culvert replacements, instream leases, fish screens installations, water measuring devices, channel reconnections to the mainstem John Day River, riparian fencing and planting, and instream restoration work. Working lands conservation easements are in development to protect critical habitat for fish and wildlife along with keeping agricultural production in operation.

In addition to irrigation improvements funding, this project also has Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) funding available. If you are interested in learning more about the ACEP – ALE program, view the Oregon Agricultural Conservation Easement Program ACEP website here.

Conservation Practices Offered

  • Irrigation Pipeline (430)
  • Irrigation System, Sprinkler (442)
  • Irrigation System, Surface and Subsurface (443)
  • Irrigation Water Management (449)
  • Structure for Water Control (587)
  • Pumping Plant (533)
  • Pipeline (516)
  • Spring Development (574)
  • Watering Facility (614)
  • Water Well (642)
  • Livestock Pipeline (516)

Collaborating Partners

  • Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon
  • Fresh Water Trust
  • Blue Mountain Land Trust
  • Grant Soil and Water Conservation District
  • Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • NRCS Oregon
  • Private Landowners

Application Questions
NRCS uses prioritization questions to evaluate applications for this initiative. See the list of workload prioritization questions on the Oregon EQIP page. Ranking questions below will also apply.

Ranking Criteria

  1. Is the water source within the priority 1 watersheds?
  2. Is the water source within the priority 2 watersheds?
  3. Will source water depletion - Inefficient use of irrigation water and aquatic habitat – Aquatic habitat for fish and other organisms - be addressed through this project?

    Answer #4, #5 or #6:
  4. Is the water right reliable for >75% of the irrigation season?
  5. Is the water right reliable for 50-74% of the irrigation season? 
  6. Is the water right reliable for 25-49% of the irrigation season? 
     
  7. Is there currently ODFW approved fish screening and fish passage?
  8. Is the POD on a stream identified in the CTWSR strategy as having altered hydrologic process?
  9. Does regulation occur < 50% of years on source stream? If not, is the landowner willing to go through the allocation of conserved water process?

How to Apply
If you're interested in applying for this program, please contact:

Aaron Roth, Natural Resource Conservation Service, District Conservationist
541-575-0135 ext. 113
aaron.roth@usda.gov