Thornburgh Resort is at it again. Take action before next Tuesday’s hearing!
Cline Buttes recreation area: Bureau of Land Management
The appeals continue over a proposed destination resort at Cline Buttes near Redmond. The public continues to voice its worry over water use in the high desert. A destination resort authorized for a water use rate of up to 6 million gallons of water a day continues to generate widespread concern.
Read more about Thornburgh Resort’s proposed water usage in the news.
There is an opportunity for the public to weigh in on tentative plans for the development before 6:00 p.m. next Tuesday, January 4.
The current issue
LandWatch has been working for nearly a decade to ensure the County complies with land use and water laws in reviewing proposals for Thornburgh Resort.
Last August, we asked you to weigh in during a hearing over the Resort’s proposed water use. Hundreds of you wrote in expressing your concern.
It’s time to take action again.
This most recent issue relates to Thornburgh Resort’s compliance with the conditions of the original approval of the resort.
Based on its proposed use of groundwater, the resort has an ongoing obligation to abide by a 2008 Wildlife Management Plan designed to make sure the resort fully mitigates adverse impacts on fish and wildlife.
Now, the state water permit for the groundwater withdrawals (on which the 2008 Wildlife Management Plan was based) has expired.
What’s more, the record shows the cold surface water flows at Deep Canyon Creek may no longer be available for mitigation. That means the Resort may not have the water specifically required to offset the impacts of the resort’s groundwater use.
The technical details
The resort is actively looking for alternative sources of water. But, changes in the source of the proposed quasi-municipal water supply, along with the lack of availability of the originally required source of cold mitigation water, calls into question the original Fish and Wildlife Management Plan, without which the Resort could never have been approved.
The resort will withdraw water from the underlying aquifer. It has been shown that the resort’s withdrawals will adversely affect Whychus Creek and the Deschutes River unless the resort provides adequate mitigation water.
The central legal issue here is whether Thornburgh Resort actually has mitigation water to offset the negative impacts from their water usage.
The public has a right to know that any effects on fish and wildlife will be fully accounted for in Whychus Creek and the Deschutes River.
Take Action Before January 4
Our land use system relies on public participation, and we are calling on our supporters to take action before the next appeals hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 4th, on the following resort development approvals:
Findings and Decision 247-21-000537-SP
Findings and Decision 247-21-000637-TP
There are three ways to take action
Submit written remarks: Anyone can submit a written comment until 4:00 p.m, Monday, January 3. Email comments to Angie.Brewer@deschutes.org and include, “Public comment regarding 247-21-000637-TP and 247-21-000537-SP” in the subject line and include your mailing address in the email.
Drop off written comments in person. The County accepts all printed documents, dropped off at 1300 NW Wall Street before 4:00, January 3.
Comment in person: If you wish to speak during Tuesday's public hearing, either over Zoom or at the County offices, you can find the meeting agenda and instructions on how to participate here.
Talking Points
Here is the key message we need to convey to Deschutes County:
Deschutes County should not allow for any further development of Thornburgh Resort until the resort demonstrates it complies with the county code requirements to fully mitigate the effects on fish and wildlife if the resort relies on new water sources. The public has a right to participate in the process of determining whether the new source meets the standards that require full mitigation of the effects on fish and wildlife.
Suggested Talking Points
I am concerned about the effects of Thornburgh Resort's extensive water usage. The proposed plan will withdraw millions of gallons of water from the underlying aquifer, negatively affecting Whychus Creek.
The Thornburgh Resort reached an agreement over water use with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) in 2008. The resort claimed it would rely on certain cold water sources. However, it appears that those water sources may no longer be available. To protect fish and wildlife, the County requires the resort to either: 1) demonstrate that the terms of the original fish and wildlife mitigation plan are still in place, or 2) if the water sources have changed, the County must require the resort to reach a new agreement with ODFW to show that any negative impact on fish and wildlife resources from the new water sources will be completed mitigated.
I am worried about the effect of such large water withdrawals on fish and wildlife. For instance, species of trout and Steelhead are already struggling to survive due to current water shortages. Lower water flows mean that streams and waterways quickly heat up to lethal levels for fish, and there is reduced access to spawning grounds. Removing more water from streams and rivers will threaten native species across Central Oregon.
Deschutes County Code requires destination resorts to prove that "any negative impact on fish and wildlife resources will be completely mitigated so that there is no net loss or net degradation of the resource." DCC 18.113.070(D). There is little doubt that removing immense amounts of water from the Deschutes River, Whychus Creek, and the aquifer will hurt fish and wildlife water resources.
I am opposed to Deschutes County allowing any further development of Thornburgh Resort until the resort demonstrates it complies with the county code requirements for full mitigation of the effects on fish and wildlife.
If the water sources have changed, the public should have the right to participate in the process of reaching a new agreement with ODFW to ensure full mitigation of the effects on fish and wildlife.
Stay up-to-date
At LandWatch, we serve as a watchdog organization and continually monitor land use development across Central Oregon. When we see something that clearly violates Oregon’s land use or environmental laws, we sound the alarm. We continue to advocate for public input when possible and use legal backing when absolutely necessary.
If you haven’t subscribed to our email updates and action alerts, consider doing so here so we can keep you up to speed on Thornburgh and related land use issues across Central Oregon.