The touchet and tucannon regional flood risk reduction and habitat enhancement partnership, a grassroots watershed group located in southeastern washington focused on the touchet and tucannon river…

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded $300,000 to Walla Walla County Conservation District on June 5, 2025, under the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CFDA 15.554) to support collaborative watershed management and flood risk reduction initiatives in southeastern Washington. The award, with a completion date of September 30, 2028, will fund the Touchet and Tucannon Regional Flood Risk Reduction and Habitat Enhancement Partnership in developing shovel-ready project designs. The partnership, comprised of state and federal entities, local government officials, county representatives, environmental organizations, local tribes, and conservation districts, will hire a dedicated facilitator to coordinate efforts addressing critical watershed challenges including flood risk, inadequate floodplain connectivity, sedimentation, and elevated water temperatures.

The primary deliverables include identifying and designing mitigation projects to reduce flood risk, enhance community flood resilience, and improve aquatic habitat within the Touchet and Tucannon River basins. By leveraging the facilitator position to amplify existing collaborative efforts among diverse stakeholders, the grant enables the partnership to advance engineered project designs that align with Department of the Interior priorities for watershed restoration and multi-stakeholder engagement in the Western United States.

The touchet and tucannon regional flood risk reduction and habitat enhancement partnership, a grassroots watershed group located in southeastern washington focused on the touchet and tucannon river basins, will develop shovel-ready project designs. The partnership is comprised of state and federal entities, local government officials and county representatives, environmental interests, local tribes, and the local conservation districts. Currently flood risk, lack of floodplain connectivity, sedimentation, and heightened water temperatures impact the health and safety of the watershed. The partnership will hire a facilitator to amplify existing efforts, identifying opportunities for projects to mitigate flood risk, increase community flood resilience, and improve aquatic habitat within the watersheds.