Middle Columbia River - The Dalles Pool & John Day Pools Geographic Response Plans
The Washington Department of Ecology is updating two Middle Columbia River Geographic Response Plans (GRPs). An important part of the update process is hearing from the people who live, work, and play in the GRP area. To facilitate this, a public comment period will be open from 11/2/2026 – 12/2/2026.
These two adjacent planning areas cover approximately 101 river miles of the Columbia River. Below The Dalles Pool (or Lake Celilo) is the Bonneville Pool. Above the John Day Pool (or Lake Umatilla) is the McNary Pool. The towns or communities of Wishram, Biggs Junction, Maryhill, Rufus, Arlington, Roosevelt, Boardman, Irrigon, & Umatilla are found here. The planning areas fall within Klickitat & Benton Counties in Washington and Wasco, Morrow, & Umatilla Counties in Oregon. Two major tributaries are the Deschutes and John Day Rivers (in The Dalles and John Day Pools, respectively).
What are Geographic Response Plans?
Geographic Response Plans (GRPs) are used to guide early response actions in the event of an oil spill. Ecology develops and updates GRPs in collaboration with state, local and federal agencies and tribes. Each GRP is written for a specific area (for example a river, a lake, or section of Puget Sound) and includes tactical response strategies tailored to a particular shore or waterway at risk of injury from oil.
GRPs have two main objectives:
Identify sensitive natural, cultural or significant economic resources at risk of injury from oil spills.
Describe and prioritize response strategies to reduce injury to sensitive natural, cultural, and certain economic resources at risk from oil spills.
The Washington Department of Ecology is updating two Middle Columbia River Geographic Response Plans (GRPs). An important part of the update process is hearing from the people who live, work, and play in the GRP area. To facilitate this, a public comment period will be open from 11/2/2026 – 12/2/2026.
View the draft GRP sections here:
https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/ezshare/sppr/Preparedness/MCR-GRP/MCR_GRPs_CoverPage.pdf
Description of the Planning Area
These two adjacent planning areas cover approximately 101 river miles of the Columbia River. Below The Dalles Pool (or Lake Celilo) is the Bonneville Pool. Above the John Day Pool (or Lake Umatilla) is the McNary Pool. The towns or communities of Wishram, Biggs Junction, Maryhill, Rufus, Arlington, Roosevelt, Boardman, Irrigon, & Umatilla are found here. The planning areas fall within Klickitat & Benton Counties in Washington and Wasco, Morrow, & Umatilla Counties in Oregon. Two major tributaries are the Deschutes and John Day Rivers (in The Dalles and John Day Pools, respectively).
What are Geographic Response Plans?
Geographic Response Plans (GRPs) are used to guide early response actions in the event of an oil spill. Ecology develops and updates GRPs in collaboration with state, local and federal agencies and tribes. Each GRP is written for a specific area (for example a river, a lake, or section of Puget Sound) and includes tactical response strategies tailored to a particular shore or waterway at risk of injury from oil.
GRPs have two main objectives:
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