Guest column: Is Central Oregon the West's water future?
Jeremy Austin, Wild Lands and Water Program Manager at Central Oregon LandWatch
This article was originally published in the Bulletin on 9/12/2022
The low flows of the Upper Deschutes: Paul Riedmiller
Central Oregon recently made national headlines when The Washington Post hailed local water infrastructure projects as “the future of the American West.” Indeed, improving the efficiency of our century-old water infrastructure is key to ushering in a modern era of water management–but it’s far from a panacea.
In the Deschutes Basin, there are three main demands for water: water for rivers, water for irrigation, and water for cities. As supply and demand for water changes from year to year, shortfalls don’t affect all water users equally. Dry years disproportionately impact our rivers and creeks, which bear the brunt of shortages with dramatic changes to stream flows and temperatures.
Estimated water shortfalls according to the Upper Deschutes River Basin Study
Similarly, productive farms in the north part of the basin are seeing irrigation water shut off early due to an archaic priority system established more than a century ago. The current megadrought — the most severe in 1,200 years — has exacerbated these impacts, sharpening the cry for fundamental changes in how we manage and distribute water.
In 2019, an effort funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and State of Oregon Water Resources Department published a report on water demands in the Deschutes Basin. The report, known as the Upper Deschutes River Basin Study, outlines potential strategies to address imbalances and highlights options for a better water future.
The greatest opportunities identified for increasing water supplies fell under two management options: water conservation projects (e.g. piping projects, and on-farm infrastructure upgrades) and market-based incentives (e.g. water leasing, transfers, and duty reduction).
An irrigation canal along the Deschutes River: Matt Muchna
While these two water management options were estimated to have the potential to conserve similar amounts of water, water conservation projects come with a drastically higher price tag. For example, to conserve 1 acre-foot of water — or roughly 325,851 gallons — a water conservation project would cost an estimated 12.5 times more than a market-based approach.
It’s true that water conservation projects in the Deschutes Basin are a model for other regions of the West. However, just as important are the innovative, voluntary, market-based solutions that can more quickly and equitably distribute water and restore stream flows.
This past year we saw the launch of a water bank pilot in the Deschutes Basin, described as “a local, flexible, and voluntary water management tool, which allows for the easier movement of water to meet farmer and river needs in times of scarcity.” While interest in the water bank was high, actual participation was tempered by multiple barriers, underscoring the important policy changes and support needed at the local and state levels to allow for better water management.
Low river flows near Riley Ranch in northwest Bend: Caitlyn Burford
To put it simply, we need to be able to more easily share water. Establishing a basinwide water market could dramatically improve water movement between irrigation districts, municipalities, and the rivers, helping to address shortfalls by offering real and immediate benefits to our streams and food-producing farms. However, it’s unclear whether local water managers are willing to support these efforts in a manner commensurate with the glossy, front-page piping projects.
Why not?
For the Deschutes Basin, investing in infrastructure projects without similar investments in market-based approaches — like the water bank pilot — will fail to meet the needs of our rivers and farmers. It will also fail to meet requirements established by regional conservation plans.
The real future of the American West is change: Climate change is upon us. We must respond quickly by adopting new policies to make it easier to move water, make changes to infrastructure to better conserve water, and change what counts as beneficial use in a modern era.
For more information on our water conservation efforts in the Deschutes River Basin, reach out to Jeremy Austin, Wild Lands and Water Program Manager, at jeremy@colw.org