MISSION \u2013 Rain caused flooding problems throughout eastern Umatilla County Wednesday. While it did relieve the dry spell, it wasn\u2019t welcome by Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Fisheries Manager Jerimiah Bonifer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Ma Nature comes in with a fury, there\u2019s not much that we can do,\u201d he said. \u201cUnfortunately, these high-flow events are really hard on our infrastructure. They can be really hard on fish too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonifer said the best way to deal with big storms as far as fish are concerned is to expand flood plains. He said that instead of a firehose of water rushing down creeks, streams, and rivers, more flood plains allow the water to spread out and enter the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately a lot of the things we\u2019ve done with these river systems is we\u2019ve straightened them and constrained them, and so there\u2019s just no room for these rivers to spread out and dissipate some of that energy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n