News Release Archive

Reclamation Issues Draft Environmental Assessment for Tumalo Feed Canal Project near Bend, Ore.

Media Contact: John Redding, (208) 378-5212, jredding@usbr.gov
Dave Kaumheimer, dkaumheimer@usbr.gov

For Release: March 26, 2010

The Bureau of Reclamation has released for public comment a Draft Environmental Assessment for the Tumalo Feed Canal Piping Project describing the proposed action and potential environmental effects of enclosing open ditches with a piping system northwest of Bend, Ore.

The purpose of the proposed project is to reduce risks to public safety from open canals, improve water delivery efficiency, and reduce operation and maintenance costs. The proposed action calls for replacing about six miles of open ditch in the Tumalo Feed Canal with pipe ranging in size from 78 inches to 90 inches in diameter.

The enclosed piping would conserve about 20 cubic feet per second of water by eliminating seepage and evaporation losses. This water savings would equal a total annual water volume of 6,664 acre-feet. The State of Oregon would receive the water rights to the conserved water to enhance instream flows in Tumalo Creek and the Deschutes River.

Construction for the $18 million project will be implemented in phases spanning five years, depending on the level of annual appropriation. Funds will come from Reclamation, the Tumalo Irrigation District, and non-profit organizations interested in increasing stream flows. Once the pipe is installed and backfilled, the area will be planted with a seed mix of native grasses and flowering plants.

The Draft EA can be located on Reclamation's website at: http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/ea/oregon/tumalofeedcanal/index.html

Written comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment will be accepted through April 23. Send comments to: Dave Kaumheimer, Bureau of Reclamation, Columbia-Cascades Area Office, 1917 Marsh Road, Yakima WA 98901. Email at DKaumheimer@usbr.gov or FAX (509) 454-5611.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.

Relevant Link:

http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/ea/oregon/tumalofeedcanal/index.html