Wednesday November 26, 2025
Elkhorn Media Group —
WALLA WALLA – Guests visiting Walla Walla’s Bennington Lake may see that the water level is lower than usual. This change is done intentionally by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, to prepare for flood waters each season. The Corps has inspected and readied the infrastructure.
Additionally, the Corps has decided to release water down the Mill Creek channel after installing 40 new modified weirs (10 last year, 30 this year). Weirs control or manage the water’s flow and/or level, plus assists in fish passage.
Between June and October, contractors helped improve the channel for fish passage, completing the project in time for the migration of mid-Columbia steelhead, bull trout, and spring Chinook salmon. The spring Chinook salmon are being reintroduced by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.