The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing a Village Development Plan (VDP) that will identify a suitable location near The Dalles Lock and Dam, and the cost to design and construct a tribal village for members of the four Columbia River Treaty Tribes: the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation; the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation; the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; and the Nez Perce Tribe.
The Flood Control Act of 1950, which authorized the construction of The Dalles Lock and Dam, also authorized the construction of a replacement village to compensate for the loss of tribal villages at Celilo, Oregon, and Spearfish, Washington. These villages were inundated in 1957 when the Corps completed construction of the dam. In 2016, the Department of the Army determined that this authority has not been used.
The Corps recognizes tribal governments are sovereign entities, and will work to meet trust obligations, protect trust resources, and obtain tribal views of trust and treaty responsibilities as we prepare the VDP. We will engage in government-to-government consultation with each of the Treaty Tribes and incorporate their feedback into the Plan.