Join us as we delve into the intersectional intricacies of the United States’ most famous wildlife conservation law and Central Oregon’s prevailing framework for (theoretically) balancing the needs of water users and threatened species to better understand a path toward meaningful steelhead habitat restoration and population recovery in the Upper Deschutes Basin.

Responses to our joint survey of Central Oregon Irrigation District patrons clearly show that local irrigators are eager to improve irrigation system efficiencies and reduce water waste.

As climate change and drought continue to place pressure on water resources in Central Oregon, an integrated approach to solving water scarcity issues is needed; a concerted effort to pipe private laterals must be part of the solution. 

In less than a century, the impacts of irrigation, hydropower projects, and other human activities throughout the Deschutes Basin have disrupted the natural water systems and environmental conditions that sustained abundant steelhead populations for millennia.

In order to take steps toward habitat recovery, it is important to understand how we’ve fundamentally changed these waterways.

To meet existing and future water needs, the Basin’s senior irrigation districts need to ramp up financial incentive programs to conserve more water, in concert with the piping of private laterals.

The steelhead trout is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic species of fish.

In this series, we’re exploring the history of steelhead in the Deschutes Basin, the impacts irrigation and development have had on this species and their habitat, the actions water managers and regulators are proposing to address threats to this species, and whether they go far enough to restore the critical habitat this iconic species needs and deserves.

Addressing water shortages in the Deschutes Basin requires a comprehensive Water Management Plan that integrates infrastructure improvements and market-based incentives to efficiently allocate water for both agricultural and environmental needs.

The Deschutes Basin Water Collaborative, through the state’s Place-Based Planning process, is developing this plan to ensure balanced water distribution and overcome existing systemic issues, emphasizing the need for immediate and coordinated action.

Most of the Deschutes River Basin’s water is used for irrigation and waste happens at every step in the process. It is time for irrigation districts to step up and truly embrace reform at the local level.

What do we want Deschutes County to look like in 20 years? The County is asking for your input on its draft update to the Comprehensive Plan.

It’s clear there is an appetite amongst irrigators for solutions to wasteful irrigation practices, improved irrigation infrastructure, and policy reform to allow easier reallocation of water to those who need it the most.

It is time to focus on solutions to water waste to ensure that both our frogs and our farmers get the water they need - and time is of the essence as climate change tightens its grip.

Take the survey by June 15th and help shape a water strategy that prioritizes stronger protections for instream flows and improved management of groundwater.

What’s in the Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery Plan? We need more from the draft plan. Take action by May 1 and ask U.S. Fish and Wildlife for specific and tangible conservation actions.

It doesn’t take an expert to see the growing conflict over the scarcity of water supplies in Central Oregon, intensified by drought and the impacts of climate change. But the Oregon spotted frog is not to blame for our water woes, nor are the farmers whose livelihood depends on water for crops.

Earlier this month, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced an updated version of the River Democracy Act.

OWRD recognizes there is an issue with over-allocation of groundwater resources. Right now, they are seeking our input on how to move forward and shape a groundwater permitting system that supports the quality of our aquifers while also serving the senior water rights holders and current domestic well uses in each basin.

This past year, Central Oregon saw the launch of the Deschutes Water Bank Pilot Program. This program is an innovative, voluntary, and market-based solution to addressing water shortages in the Deschutes Basin.

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.

Right now, Oregon has the chance to designate the Metolius River as an Outstanding Resource Water.

Oregon has the most miles of “impaired” waterways nationwide according to a recent report from The Environmental Integrity Project.

This needs to be our last season of water scarcity. It’s time for reform. First, Oregon needs to modify how “beneficial use” of water is defined, monitored, and regulated to realign water priorities to meet 21st-century needs.