Snake River Basin

About

The 1,000-mile Snake River flows into the Columbia, the largest North American river entering the Pacific Ocean. The Snake generates power for millions of people; supports vibrant tribal and agricultural communities and fisheries; is enjoyed by recreationists; and is a major vein for regional commerce.  

Yet, if ever there was a need for speed and scale in conservation, it is here. As a result of heavy use, the Snake’s flow and water velocities have decreased, leaving much of the river slow and shallow. Agricultural runoff in the region contributes to harmful algal blooms (HABs) and toxic methylmercury production in downstream reservoirs. Streamside vegetation that would have shaded and cooled its tributaries is gone in many places.

To address HABs and toxic methylmercury throughout the watershed, approximately 445,000 pounds of phosphorus runoff must be stopped from entering the river each year. To do this, The Freshwater Trust (TFT) has launched an innovative funding and implementation program that will convert 2,000 farm fields from flood irrigation to precision irrigation over the next 10 years. These new systems eliminate runoff while helping producers overcome labor shortages, boost productivity, and increase operational flexibility in the face of competing water demands. To complete this work at scale, we have secured $105 million in funding commitments from Idaho Power Company and US EPA, and are working closely with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Treasure Valley 319 Program to co-fund priority projects. 

To efficiently deliver this funding, we are working on behalf of NRCS to recruit, design, and develop a large queue of priority projects identified by precision analytics into "shovel-ready" irrigation upgrade projects. We formed Irrigation Incentives, a wholly owned subsidiary that streamlines technical assistance and helps fund these upgrades. And we have partnered with local equipment suppliers who are contracting with dozens of farmers each year to implement targeted projects that cost-effectively reduce runoff. To ensure all this activity results in reductions in methylmercury, TFT is also partnering with USGS and Oregon State University to study how this work materializes in the food web. This replicable system, which leverages federal, state and private dollars together, can be scaled up and applied nationwide.

To address high water temperatures, TFT also supported Idaho Power Company (IPC) in designing and securing regulatory approval for a $350-million watershed solution called the Snake River Stewardship Program (SRSP). The SRSP will fund more than 100 miles of riparian revegetation and dozens of river reengineering projects in the Mid-Snake River basin that will reduce surface area for solar loading, improve river depth and velocity, reduce nuisance aquatic plant growth, and improve habitat. As part of this program, IPC has already implemented major river restoration projects, including enhancements at Bayha and Rippee Islands.  

Combined, these programs offer a pathway to fixing this river in a way that helps farmers, ratepayers, recreationists, and the species that rely on this river to thrive in balance.