• Working with irrigators to increase the amount of water in streams

    Irrigation and other water withdrawals during the peak growing season can cause stretches of many streams to run low – and sometimes dry.  One of the most effective and immediate steps we can take to improve fish habitat is to increase the amount of water in streams.

     

    Since 2002, BPA has funded the Columbia Basin Water Transactions Program (CBWTP) to increase the amount of water within the Columbia River Basin through water transactions and improving irrigation efficiencies.   

    1200 acre feet of water for endangered steelhead. Before irrigation 1200 acre feet of water for endangered steelhead. After irrigation
    series of water transactions in a tributary, improved conditions. Before.
     .
    series of water transactions in a tributary, improved conditions. After.
  • Types of water transactions

    Here are some of the ways that CBWTP and farmers work together to get more water into streams for fish:

      • They negotiate either a partial or full-season lease of an irrigator’s water right.
      • They develop minimum flow agreements — contractual agreements to maintain a specific flow in a river reach, reducing irrigation only when the flow is needed.
      • They negotiate a change in stream source — moving a point of diversion from a flow-limited reach (such as a small stream) to a reach that has adequate flow (often a river or major tributary) for fish and irrigation.
      • They can purchase adjacent land or purchase conservation easements, permanently restricting or retiring water rights.