USFS plans flood plain recovery

Whychus Creek has had enough water flowing through Sisters to classify as a flood - not once, but several times over the years.

Many old-time Sisters residents still recall the flood of the 1960s, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned the creek into a fire hose to get it out of town. Most hydrologists thought it was a bit of overkill, and fishery biologists saw the action as the death knell of the once-healthy fishery in the creek.

Since those dual-purpose days of irrigation and flood control, Whychus Creek has become a focal point of the natural cycle of events in Central Oregon, as well as a vital part of the ecosystem of Sisters Country.

Since the 1990s, the Deschutes River Conservancy (DRC), in cooperation with conservation partners Deschutes Land Trust (DLT), Three Sisters Irrigation District, The Forest Service, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, PGE, BLM and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have spearheaded efforts to keep more water in Whychus Creek.

The approach used by DRC and its partners involves a combination of leases, water rights transfers, and conservation projects, with a long-term objective to rebuild the historic fishery.

Fishery biologist Mike Riehle of the Sisters Ranger District is the man on the ground for rebuilding the flood plain above Sisters.

While the DLT has placed the creek back into its historic channels in Camp Polk Meadow, the creek has continued to run wild above town, digging its own meandering channels through the gravels put in the 1960s. Now, the Forest Service would like to see the creek back where it belongs above town, less prone to flooding, and conserve fish habitat as well.

The area the USFS is responsible for includes about 500 acres upstream (south) of Sisters; the eastern part bounded by FS RD 16, USFS land on the west, and private land, north and south; all in Section 17 of T15S, R10E.

The area of proposed flood plain action has become infested with knapweed and other introduced weeds.

Maret Pajutee, Sisters Ranger District ecologist, has, over the years, made several attempts to eradicate the weeds with help of volunteers, youth organizations and school groups. However, knapweed seeds can remain viable under and on the earth's surface for years; weed-control has to be ongoing to be successful. Those interested are invited to contact Pajutee or Riehle and help establish a weed-removal plan that will eradicate the weeds, once and for all.

At the moment, Whychus Creek is flowing over and through a broad alluvial fan. Each time there is high water, the creek digs out new routes in the gravel, making life difficult for the anadromous steelhead and spring chinook. These conditions also make it difficult for irrigation-users to obtain enough water and still maintain the conservation efforts aimed at recovering the fishery.

If approved, the Forest Service actions will be to:

• Remove old berms and open entrances to side channels to restore the historic flood plain and side channel connections. Some small tress will be removed to facilitate the flood plain connections.

• Add gravel and meander bends to reconnect flood channels and reduce bank erosion.

• Place whole trees and plant riparian vegetation in the channels and flood plain to provide slow-water habitat for trout and salmon and create shade in all channels.

• Provide fish passage and fish screen at the irrigation diversions compatible with the larger stream restoration effort.

• Close and decommission the Whychus Creek Foot Trail (408) on the east side of Whychus Creek (this segment is no longer accessible because of the perennial side channel).

Everyone is invited to share opinions and concerns on the proposed action. The Forest Service would like to have as many comments as possible to help identify the issues to be reviewed in the environmental review process.

Submit letters to Mike Riehle, project manager, P.O. Box 249, Sisters, OR 97759, or drop it off at the district office, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Riehle's email is

[email protected]

To learn more about floods and flood plains, visit www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/flood_facts.jsp.