County funds Echo flood recovery project
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, June 15th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
ECHO – Umatilla County is giving the city of Echo up to $400,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to make emergency repairs to the Umatilla River which is seriously eroding land, threatening houses and a church. Board of Commissioners Chairman John Shafer said that the city was finally given permission to work in the river over the weekend, as the frequent rain made things even worse.
“The city was able to obtain a permit from the Division of State Lands to get in and shore up that shoreline, but the Corps of Engineers said no, you need to wait,” Shafer said. “Finally, it was Sunday night, Corps of Engineers said, ‘OK, do what you need to do. We’re going to get you your permit first thing on Monday morning.’”
The city now has the money and the permission to perform what amounts to a patch, not a solution.
“We’re trying to get the banks armored up so that the water hits the rock that they’re going to put in the river and go around instead of eating away the shoreline and keep getting closer and closer to those houses and the church,” Shafer said.
He said the true solution is reminiscent of the problems faced by McKay Creek in Pendleton as gravel and other debris is basically changing the course of the river. “This is only a band aid,” he said. “What really needs to happen is we need to get in the river and clean out the gravel bar that’s built up over the years. It’s almost identical with what happened in Pendleton with McKay. It’s almost an identical situation.”
