The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and the City of Umatilla (COU), as joint project proponents, propose to construct a new pump station and associated water conveyance infrastructure to improve water delivery reliability of water delivery for wildlife habitat, residential, commercial, and industrial uses. The project includes increased diversion capacity, upgraded fish screening, and modernized water distribution to serve the Wanaket Wildlife Area and the CTUIR Wanapa Industrial Site. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Walla Walla District served as the lead federal agency for the proposed project.

The draft Environmental Assessment and associated supporting documentation for this project were made available for a 30-day public comment and review period beginning on March 21, 2025. Based on the analysis presented in the Environmental Assessment, reviews by other federal, state, and local agencies, coordination with Tribes, consideration of public input, and review by USACE staff, it has been determined that the implementation of the proposed pump station and pipeline project would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment.

USACE Real Estate Division proposes to issue the CTUIR and COU a 2-year construction license to implement components of the project on USACE-owned lands, followed by issuance of a 50-year easement for operation and maintenance of the newly constructed conveyance infrastructure upon completion of construction, subject to available funding and resources.

The finalized environmental documents are made available and can be accessed using the links on the right-hand side of this web page. For more information on this project, please contact Austen Whelan at Austen.P.Whelan@usace.army.mil.