WHERE WE WORK | WATERS

Restoring Rivers & Springs

We improve water management in our region and help restore critical habitats for fish and wildlife in our rivers and wetlands.

 

Water may be the high desert’s most precious resource. Unfortunately, over the past century, our rivers have been dammed, dredged, channelized, and dewatered and it’s

Using state and federal water policy and legal expertise, LandWatch defends our rivers and springs. We are working to reduce water waste across Central Oregon and secure critical habitat for fish and wildlife.

Key Strategies:

  • Assure compliance with State and Federal water laws. 

  • Advocate for State and Federal water policies to enhance stream flows and water quality. 

  • Litigate federal, state and local government decisions that adversely affect critical fish and wildlife habitat. 

  • Collaborate with key partners to pursue shared agendas for water use and stream restoration in the Deschutes Basin. 

 
 
 
 

Key Initiatives

Restoring The Deschutes River Basin

The Deschutes River is a national treasure. Designated as both a National Wild and Scenic River and a State Scenic Waterway, the Deschutes is the largest spring-fed river in the United States. It has also long been known as the “Peculiar River” for its remarkably even year-round streamflow, more than any other river in the US.

Unfortunately, due to chronic mismanagement of our water resources, the Upper Deschutes has suffered a significant ecological decline over the past century. We advocate for sensible, incentive-based strategies that can work to restore the river.


Monitoring the Crooked River

The Crooked River is a critically important area for native fish and wildlife and an iconic Central Oregon waterway—and it’s drying up, bringing the urgent need for improved water management into stark relief.


Protecting The Metolius Basin

In Central Oregon, our rich quality of life depends on the natural beauty of the forests, mountains, and high desert that surround us. One of the crown jewels of the entire state is the aqua blue Metolius River, its stunning headsprings, and its ancient forests.

The Metolius Basin was once threatened by clearcuts and destination resorts, but thanks in large part to LandWatch’s founder Paul Dewey's unwavering defense of the area, it is now protected as an Area of Critical State Concern (ACSC).

 
 

Read Up On Water Work