DESCRIPTION
The Walla Walla Conservation District completed final designs for a fish screen and habitat improvement project for 1.1 miles of Jones Ditch in Walla Walla, WA. When not used for irrigation, the ditch currently dewaters, stranding ESA listed Bull Trout and Mid-Columbia steelhead and other aquatic species. Our team designed a system that, when installed, will eliminate this direct take of salmonids. The plan is for the ditch to have year-round flow and become a 1.4 mile passage/rearing habitat distributary for salmonids entering from either Mill or Yellowhawk Creek. We designed a restructured diversion entrance on Mill Creek and an improved exit to Yellowhawk Creek to allow water and fish access into Jones Ditch year round. We developed final designs to rebuild the 3 irrigation pump stations located on Jones Creek to incorporate NMFS-compliant fish screens capable of screening the spring water right of 4.4 cfs. We designed a fish-friendly culvert to replace the undersized culvert passing underneath Reservoir Road. And we designed wood structures to improve in-stream habitat.