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East Fork Hood River Watershed Restoration Project

Counties: Hood River

Primary Resource Concern:

  • Source water depletion - Inefficient irrigation water use
  • Aquatic habitat - Aquatic habitat for fish and other organisms
  • Weather resilience - Naturally available moisture use

Project Description
This project brings together a diverse set of partners in the Hood River watershed of the Columbia River Basin to focus on a top-priority water conservation and fish habitat project in the Lower East Fork Hood River. The project will construct Phase 1 of the Eastside Lateral pipeline project, assist agricultural producers with approximately 400 acres of on-farm water conservation practices, educate producers and farm workers on the latest irrigation water management techniques, and restore one mile of spawning and rearing habitat on the East Fork Hood River for threatened steelhead, spring Chinook, and Coho. NRCS programs that will support these efforts include EQIP, CSP, and PL566. Together, these projects will increase irrigation water reliability for high value food crops, improve resilience to drought, and restore instream habitat for ESA-listed species.

Conservation Practices Offered

  • Irrigation Pipeline (430)
  • Irrigation System, Microirrigation (441)
  • Irrigation System, Sprinkler (442)
  • Irrigation Water Management (449)
  • Pumping Plant (533)

Collaborating Partners

  • East Fork Irrigation District (EFID)
  • Hood River Watershed Group (HRWG)
  • Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs (CTWS)
  • Hood River Soil & Water Conservation District (HRSWCD)
  • Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW)
  • Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD)
  • NRCS Oregon
  • Private landowners

Screening Questions

  1. Is the property up for offer in the application within the identified focus area? 
  2. Does the applicant have a completed irrigation design for the application submittal?

Ranking Criteria

  1. What is the estimated water savings for the project?
    a. The proposed project shows an efficiency improvement of less than 15%.
    b. The proposed project shows an efficiency improvement of 15% or greater. 
    c. The proposed project shows an efficiency improvement of 25% or greater. 
    d. The proposed project shows an efficiency improvement of 35% or greater. 

  2. What level of irrigation water management is the applicant offering to adopt? 

  3. With the completion of the offered project in this application, will the entire operation for this applicant be upgraded? 

  4. If you are applying for a variable frequency drive pump, have you already received the pump curve report to match it with the drive for upmost efficiency? 

  5. If you are applying for a variable frequency drive, are you working with the Co-op to utilize their funds for upgrading? 

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

Cindy Thieman, East Fork Irrigation District
541-354-6063
cindy@hoodriverswcd.org   

Carly Heron, NRCS Oregon District Conservationist
541-352-1037
carly.heron@usda.gov