Purpose & Need of the Project

The purpose of the Remedial Project is to provide a clean, dependable water supply to provide for the irrigation of up to 8,000 acres of agricultural land in the Upper Hood River valley.  Recent developments have shown that Clear Branch Dam does not meet FERC dam safety standards; thus, this Plan-EIS will examine alternative solutions to meeting this FERC requirement while also meeting MFID’s purpose which is to supply clean and dependable water. The Remedial Project is being designed to meet the safety and environmental standards and therefore achieve the purpose while also providing for improved water quality and fish habitat conditions as a result of the remedial work being proposed for the dam and its operations.

In 1962, a Watershed Work Plan for Middle Fork Hood River Watershed in Hood River County, Oregon was authorized by the Soil Conservation Service, the predecessor to NRCS, under Public Law 83-566, the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (16 U.S.C. 1001-1009) and Public Law 78-534, the Flood Control Act of 1944 (33 U.S.C. 702b-1) under the general purpose of agricultural water management. The specific local purpose of the 1962 Work Plan was to provide a clean and dependable water supply and improved water distribution system for the irrigation of 8,000 acres; this objective was accomplished with the construction of Clear Branch Dam on Clear Branch of the Middle Fork Hood River in 1968. The dam is owned and operated by MFID, the Project Sponsor. Today, the reservoir behind Clear Branch Dam provides water to 404 users to irrigate 6,362 acres in the Upper Hood River valley.

In 2015, an assessment of Clear Branch Dam was performed by NRCS and MFID to evaluate the condition of the dam.  Results of the assessment indicated that modifications to Clear Branch Dam were needed to extend its service life so that it may continue to meet the purpose underlying its construction. To meet this original purpose of providing a clean and dependable water supply, there is a need to remediate Clear Branch Dam to meet current dam safety and environmental compliance standards for NRCS, the Forest Service, the FERC, and other regulatory agencies

In 2016, NRCS, the Forest Service, and MFID initiated scoping for an environmental assessment (EA) for the rehabilitation of Clear Branch Dam. A public scoping meeting was conducted on August 15, 2016, in Parkdale, Oregon. Since scoping for the environmental assessment was completed in 2016, NRCS, the Forest Service, and MFID have completed additional investigations and studies to evaluate the condition of the dam.  As a result of the new information obtained during the EA process, the modifications needed are more extensive than anticipated during scoping in 2016.

Estimated federal funds required for the construction of the proposed action may exceed $25 million. Therefore, congressional notification and approval is required, consistent with the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954.