Business Spotlight: The Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council
Photo Courtesy of Graham Banks
The Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council (WWBWC), officially recognized by the County in 1994, is a local non-profit organization serving the greater Milton-Freewater area. Watershed Councils are established to improve the condition of watersheds in their region and help residents as well as local, state, and federal agency staff and other groups implement scientifically-informed restoration and education activities.
The WWBWC has numerous projects in the works to benefit and manage our valuable water resources. They've been working to establish data sets by monitoring groundwater levels and stream flows, working with local individuals and organizations to increase their irrigation efficiency, and partnering with the Irrigation Districts to use irrigation ditches to deliver winter and spring Walla Walla River water into the shallow aquifer in an effort to recharge it. Our Basin consists of two main aquifers which have declined from historic levels: one is the deep basalt aquifer which has many users, including being the main water supply for the City of Milton-Freewater, and a shallow, or alluvial, aquifer, which supplies many domestic and irrigation wells and is highly connected to surface water.
Just last year, the WWBWC completed a beautiful "water-wise" landscape remodel, which saw the removal of their grass and the installation of plants, along with a drip irrigation system. This type of landscaping is budget- and eco-friendly during our hot and dry summers, saving our precious water resources. This inspiring landscape was completed with the help of Brad and Casey Humbert and their Eastern Oregon Contracting team, who handled the excavation and many other parts of the project.
Going forward, the WWBWC is seeking grants to create opportunities to work with the community and incentivize property owners to undertake their own water-wise landscaping. To learn more about the WWBWC's work in the area, visit them on Facebook and at wwbwc.org or reach out to Wendy Harris at wendy.harris@wwbwc.org!
