Whitman Mission National Historic Site - Doan Creek Restoration (U.S. National Park Service)

Ariel view of park. Building in foreground is the visitor center. A straight line in the far background is the railroad tracks.

NPS photo

The Visitor Center can be seen in the foreground. Behind the Visitor Center, past the lawn, is a hill. To the left (north) of the hill are railroad tracks (area with tracks highlighted with green box). The original channel of Doan Creek was just south of those tracks. Within park boundaries, water from a diverted section of Doan Creek maintains the historic mill pond and provides water to downstream users. The curving line of green vegetation at the base of the hill shows part of that diverted path.

Click here for a close-up of the location of original Doan Creek channel.

Doan Creek is a spring-fed stream originating west of Walla Walla. It flows west into Mill Creek on the north side of Whitman Mission National Historic Site. Settlers diverted water from Doan Creek to provide irrigation for farmland. Diverting Doan Creek into a straight, man-made irrigation “ditch” left the original streambed dry.

NPS photo

A rare sighting of a steelhead in the park's irrigation ditch. When Doan Creek is restored, steelhead and other fish will have a place to live and reproduce.

Why Restore Doan Creek?
In its natural state, Doan Creek offered ideal habitat for many species of plants and animals, including steelhead trout and salmon. These fish species have experienced drastic population declines and were declared threatened or endangered in the late 1990s. Straightening and diverting Doan Creek aided agriculture, but it destroyed fish habitat. By restoring the original Doan Creek channel, Whitman Mission is seeking to reconcile these competing uses of the water.

Where will the water come from?
Because the Whitmans were the earliest agricultural users of water in the area, Whitman Mission National Historic Site holds primary water rights, along with adjacent private property owners, to the water in Doan Creek. The water in the spring-fed creek is potentially over allocated. One major challenge of the Doan Creek restoration project is to ensure that all of the water rights holders in the area receive their allotment of flow even as the old Doan Creek channel is restored.

The park staff and county water-master make sure a sufficient amount of water always flows through the irrigation ditch to accommodate the needs of surrounding farmers and to preserve the historical accuracy of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman’s irrigation channel.

A curving ditch with two sets of logs placed within the ditch.

NPS photo

A new, winding channel with logs will help create pools and riffles in the restored Doan Creek.

What does restoring a creek entail?
The “new” Doan Creek was carefully planned and constructed. Fish biologists and engineers included factors such as natural riparian vegetation, the grade and shape of the channel, and the right conditions for fish in their design.

The restored creek has specifically-placed meanders (bends), pools, vegetation, and riffles to simulate natural stream conditions and ideal fish habitat. A riffle, which is a section of fast moving water in a shallow portion of the stream, is important for adding air to the water. Riffles are primary locations where aquatic insects congregate and where fish choose to spawn and feed. Pools, sections of deeper, slower-moving water, are important “resting areas” for fish, as they are cooler and more shaded. Pools and riffles must be placed a specific distance apart for optimal function. The meanders and shallow slope of the creek help disperse the energy of the flowing water. Click here to see a map of the proposed new Doan Creek channel.

Vegetation along the creek provides erosion control and shade to keep water temperature cool in the summer. Plants eligible for use include native grass species (wheatgrass and Idaho fescue), native shrubs (golden current, elderberry, and chokecherry) and native tree species (black hawthorn, willow, birch, and cottonwood). Vegetation in the creek adds oxygen to the water. Both temperature and dissolved oxygen are critical indicators of stream health, and suitability for fish and other aquatic life. The Park Service has been monitoring these and other stream attributes on a regular basis since the creation of the new Doan Creek channel.

Click here for the Doan Creek Restoration Project Environmental Assessment.

Click here for a time-line of the restoration project.

Who has been involved in Doan Creek Restoration Project?
The National Park Service (NPS), Walla Walla County Conservation District (WWCCD), and Washington State Fish and Wildlife Service collaborated on the design of the restored Doan Creek. The actual construction of the stream was accomplished in 2005, with the help of many volunteers. The project was supervised by staff from the NPS , WWCCD, and Washington Fish and Wildlife.

Four students and their leader plant willow and alder sticks on the banks of the new Doan Creek channel. The railroad tracks are immediately behind them.

NPS photo

In 2007, Whitman College students planted hundreds of live stakes, mostly of alder and willow. Some of these will eventually grow into trees that will shade the new stream. The black areas are mulch cloth, a specialized cloth barrier to prevent the growth of non-native, invasive plants. The railroad tracks can be seen in the background.

Water is a scarce and highly coveted resource. The Doan Creek restoration is an example of what can be accomplished through compromise and collaboration.

Written by Kari Martin, Spring 2007 Whitman College water-monitoring intern.