A New River Democracy Act introduced to Congress
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Earlier this month, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced an updated version of the River Democracy Act.
This bill, the most extensive Wild and Scenic Rivers effort in U.S. history, would add 3,215 miles of rivers and streams in Oregon to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system.
Currently, only 2% of Oregon’s rivers and streams are protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
The original bill, introduced to the Senate in 2021, added 4,700 miles of rivers but was narrowed down by nearly 1,500 miles throughout this year. While we are disappointed to see so many waterways dropped from the legislation, the current bill still represents significant progress toward protecting key waterways across the state.
The Metolius River: Stu Gordon
What does this mean for Central Oregon’s Waterways?
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was passed in 1968 to protect our free-flowing rivers to ensure clean drinking water, sustainable fisheries, preserve valuable cultural resources, and more.
In Central Oregon, this bill would add protections to tributaries of the Crooked River, Tumalo Creek, tributaries of the Metolius River, Paulina Creek, Fall River, the upper Deschutes, and several streams in the Ochocos.
While protections would not address the significant issues with how water is currently allocated and distributed within the Deschutes Basin, it would provide needed protections from extractive uses like new mining claims, and management guidance to preserve and protect the Outstanding Remarkable Values for which a river segment is designated.
The bill began as a statewide public grassroots effort to protect Oregon’s waterways. Central Oregon LandWatch nominated Tumalo Creek and tributaries to the Metolius River for consideration in the bill.
We will continue to track the status of this bill and advocate for protections for our vital rivers, streams, and tributaries.