Water Conservation

Project Description: The purpose of this project is to alleviate water supply shortages in Farmers Irrigation District (FID) and to increase instream flow by increasing storage in upper Kingsley Reservoir and replacing 11,500′ of pipeline on the Lowline Pipeline. FID has historically had water supply shortages in its upper and middle districts during dry years and results from the Hood River Basin Study indicate that these water shortages will be more frequent and severe in the future. Over the past 25 years, FID has converted almost all of their distribution system from open canals to pipeline, and most FID orchardists are using high efficiency on-farm equipment. This reservoir expansion and pipeline project represent some of the last conservation and infrastructure projects remaining in the District.

In conjunction with securing FID’s water supply, this project will increase streamflow and habitat in Green Point Creek, West Fork Hood River, and the mainstem Hood River, which support ESA-listed threatened winter and summer steelhead, spring chinook, and coho. The West Fork Hood River subbasin contains the best salmonid spawning and rearing habitat in the Hood River Basin. Summer steelhead distribution is limited to the West Fork Hood River sub-basin, and this population is one of the weakest native stocks in the Hood River Watershed. Furthermore, Green Point Creek, a West Fork tributary, has the highest native fish density in the Hood River Watershed, making it a high priority for streamflow enhancement for winter steelhead and resident cutthroat trout.

Project Updates:

The Lowline Pipeline diverts water from Green Point Creek to provide irrigation water to FID’s Middle District patrons. The 30-year old metal pipe leaked badly and was highly susceptible to damage from logging activities and weather events, losing approximately 3 cubic feet per second (cfs) and contributing to slope failures above
the West Fork Hood River. In the fall of 2016, FID replaced the old pipe with long-lasting fused high-density polyethylene pipe, which will allow them to increase irrigation water reliability and improve stream flows in Green Point Creek. FID will leave at least 1 cfs of the conserved water in Green Point Creek. The Watershed Group helped secure the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) grant, providing $800,000 in funding for this project, which was matched by a loan FID obtained from DEQ’s Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund.

In the fall of 2017, FID replaced the outlet pipe at Kingsley Reservoir, which was an essential first step in preparation for increasing the height of the dam and expanding the reservoir by 650 acre-ft. The original outlet pipe was installed 80 years ago when the reservoir was built. It was undersized, prone to valve failure, and significantly deteriorated. In order to complete the project, a portion of the dam had to be removed to install the new outlet structure and encase the new outlet pipe in concrete. FID started the project at the end of the 2017 irrigation season and finished in November, hours before the first snowstorm!

Access to the reservoir and surrounding area was closed starting in September 2017 so that FID could implement a number of projects related to the reservoir expansion. The final construction is underway this summer, and FID hopes to complete the project in the fall of 2020. The project will raise the dam height approximately 11 feet by building a new dam on the downstream face of the existing dam. FID dedicated 1.5 cfs of conserved water to Green Point Creek. The Watershed Group helped secure the OWRD grant that is providing $2.2 million in funding for the reservoir expansion, which is matched by $1.8 million from DEQ’s Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund.