In the Media Archives - DRC News & Resources

Bend Bulletin: Redmond gets state OK to use more water

February 12, 2025

Bend Bulletin: Redmond gets state OK to use more water

Redmond has secured enough water to support its growing population for at least 15 years by creatively reallocating winter water for summer use, rather than increasing its supply. While the city explores additional options like transferring a historic Deschutes River water right to groundwater, Mayor Ed Fitch emphasizes that long-term sustainability will require continued conservation and strategic planning.

Bend Bulletin: January was dry, but Central Oregon snowpack levels have rebounded

February 12, 2025

Bend Bulletin: January was dry, but Central Oregon snowpack levels have rebounded

Central Oregon is on track for one of the best water years in recent memory, with reservoirs at their highest levels since 2018 and snowpack at 128% of normal. The region is now drought-free, bringing optimism for irrigation, healthier rivers, and a strong winter tourism season.

Cascade Business News: Deschutes County Voters Approve Measure #9-176, Advancing Local Conservation Efforts

February 6, 2025

Cascade Business News: Deschutes County Voters Approve Measure #9-176, Advancing Local Conservation Efforts

Deschutes County voters have passed Measure #9-176, providing stable funding for the Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District to expand conservation efforts, improve water and forest management, and enhance urban green spaces through a permanent tax rate with oversight by an elected Board of Directors.

Bend Bulletin: Protect Deschutes Basin groundwater (Guest Column)

February 1, 2025

Bend Bulletin: Protect Deschutes Basin groundwater (Guest Column)

Bobby Brunoe, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, emphasizes the sacred importance of water as the Creator’s first gift and calls for renewed collaboration, better science, and an integrated water policy to sustainably manage the Deschutes Basin’s shared resources for the benefit of all and future generations.

Bend Bulletin: Funding secure for Mirror Pond Dam fish passage design phase

January 29, 2025

Bend Bulletin: Funding secure for Mirror Pond Dam fish passage design phase

Officials in Bend have secured funding to design a nature-like fishway at Mirror Pond Dam, aiming to restore fish migration in the Deschutes River while addressing upstream passage challenges and potential downstream risks.

Bend Bulletin: Federal grant coming to Central Oregon for soil and water conservation

January 21, 2025

Bend Bulletin: Federal grant coming to Central Oregon for soil and water conservation

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has awarded a $509,992 grant to the Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District to support agricultural projects in Deschutes and Jefferson counties, focusing on improving water efficiency, soil health, and wildlife habitat on 5,000 acres in the Deschutes Basin.

Bend Bulletin: Beaver dam appears on Whychus Creek after restoration effort

January 8, 2025

Bend Bulletin: Beaver dam appears on Whychus Creek after restoration effort

A year after a major restoration project transformed Whychus Creek’s floodplain, beavers have returned to the area, signaling the project’s success in revitalizing habitat for native wildlife and contributing to broader efforts to restore fish populations in the Deschutes Basin.

Bend Bulletin: Drought-weary farmers optimistic as snowpack totals soar

January 4, 2025

Bend Bulletin: Drought-weary farmers optimistic as snowpack totals soar

Central Oregon's above-average snowpack and increased precipitation offer cautious optimism for improved water supply and farming prospects, despite challenges from low commodity prices and rising costs.

Bend Bulletin: Oregon's snowpack sees spectacular start to 2025

January 2, 2025

Bend Bulletin: Oregon's snowpack sees spectacular start to 2025

Oregon's snowpack is off to its best start in over a decade at 163% of normal, offering strong potential for improved summer water supply, though variability in lower elevations and the months ahead could still impact outcomes.

Bend Bulletin: Atmospheric river burying mountain areas with snow in Central Cascades

December 26, 2024

Bend Bulletin: Atmospheric river burying mountain areas with snow in Central Cascades

An atmospheric river is delivering significant snowfall to the Pacific Northwest, with Central Oregon's mountain passes and ski areas expecting several feet of accumulation, bolstering already above-average snowpack and precipitation levels.

Bend Bulletin: Cascades snowpack well above average with more snow expected at higher elevations

December 17, 2024

Bend Bulletin: Cascades snowpack well above average with more snow expected at higher elevations

Winter storms have boosted Oregon's snowpack well above average, with the Upper Deschutes Basin at 163% of normal, benefiting ski resorts like Mt. Bachelor and Hoodoo with significant snowfall.

December 13, 2024

Oregon Humanities: Becoming Water Wise

Residents and stakeholders in the Deschutes River Basin are working to modernize a century-old water rights system to address increasing water scarcity, balancing conservation, irrigation, and recreation needs through collaborative efforts like the Deschutes River Basin Habitat Conservation Plan, innovative irrigation practices, and water management policies.

Bend Bulletin: Columbia River salmon, steelhead returns average 2.3 million each year

December 13, 2024

Bend Bulletin: Columbia River salmon, steelhead returns average 2.3 million each year

About 2.3 million salmon and steelhead migrate up the Columbia River annually—double the 1990s numbers but still short of the 5 million goal—while efforts focus on boosting wild fish populations and improving returns above Bonneville Dam to support fisheries and natural reproduction.

Bend Bulletin: Guest column: How to avert a future groundwater crisis

October 18, 2024

Bend Bulletin: Guest column: How to avert a future groundwater crisis

Groundwater levels in the Deschutes Basin are rapidly declining due to reduced precipitation and overpumping, threatening domestic wells, wildlife habitats, and future growth, necessitating urgent conservation efforts and policy changes.

Bend Bulletin - Ballot offers voters an option to fund Deschutes County conservation projects

October 18, 2024

Bend Bulletin - Ballot offers voters an option to fund Deschutes County conservation projects

The Nov. 5 ballot includes a measure that, if passed, would create a permanent tax levy to provide significant new funding for the Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District, allowing it to expand its conservation projects to improve water and soil health in Deschutes County.

Capitol Press - How Trump’s return may impact public, private land management

October 13, 2024

Capitol Press - How Trump’s return may impact public, private land management

The return of Donald Trump to the presidency raises concerns about potential rollbacks of environmental protections in Oregon, with environmentalists fearing harm to federal lands and endangered species, while loggers, farmers, and others see opportunities for less restrictive regulations and improved resource management.

Bend Bulletin - Years-long restoration project brings fish and wildlife back to Whychus Creek near Sisters

October 11, 2024

Bend Bulletin - Years-long restoration project brings fish and wildlife back to Whychus Creek near Sisters

Fish and wildlife are slowly returning to a creek near Sisters thanks to a years-long restoration project. Volunteers gathered Friday to plant hundreds of native flowering plants, called forbs, along Whychus Creek.

Bend Bulletin - Deschutes Basin water is focus of U.S. House hearing in Redmond

October 8, 2024

Bend Bulletin - Deschutes Basin water is focus of U.S. House hearing in Redmond

A U.S. House Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries held a field hearing in Redmond, Oregon, where representatives and local stakeholders discussed water shortages in the Deschutes Basin, highlighting collaboration efforts like the Deschutes Basin Habitat Conservation Plan and the ongoing challenges faced by farmers, ranchers, and conservationists.

Bend Bulletin - Ochoco Preserve restoration turns farmland to floodplain near Prineville

October 5, 2024

Bend Bulletin - Ochoco Preserve restoration turns farmland to floodplain near Prineville

The Deschutes Land Trust is transforming the 185-acre Ochoco Preserve near Prineville from former farmland into a restored floodplain, with efforts focused on improving habitat for wildlife, restoring streamflow, and planting native vegetation to crowd out invasive species, while also creating public trails and connections to the Crooked River Wetlands Complex.

Bend Bulletin - Kotek kick-starts multistate, tribal plan to increase native fish in Columbia basin

September 30, 2024

Bend Bulletin - Kotek kick-starts multistate, tribal plan to increase native fish in Columbia basin

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed an executive order to ensure state agencies collaborate effectively to support the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, a federal program partnered with tribal nations and Washington State, investing over $1 billion to restore wild fish populations in the Columbia River Basin, including provisions for dam removals and enhancing tribal clean energy production.

Bend Bulletin - No 'forever chemicals' found in Deschutes River, boosting prospects for Warm Springs' water system fixes

September 24, 2024

Bend Bulletin - No 'forever chemicals' found in Deschutes River, boosting prospects for Warm Springs' water system fixes

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reported that the absence of PFAS and other contaminants is expected to reduce construction costs for a new water filtration plant on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.

Bend Bulletin - Conservation projects in the wings as irrigation districts prepare to shut off water

September 14, 2024

OPB - Groundwater rights in Oregon just got even more valuable. Here’s why

Oregon has implemented new groundwater rules to halt the decline of water levels, affecting about 40,000 home wells statewide. The Oregon Water Resources Commission's decision means future applications for groundwater rights may be denied, aiming to preserve water availability based on scientific data, though existing rights remain unaffected.

September 14, 2024

Bend Bulletin - Conservation projects in the wings as irrigation districts prepare to shut off water

As cooler weather approaches and harvests wrap up, irrigation districts across Central Oregon are preparing to shut off water and initiate significant conservation projects, such as the Arnold Irrigation District's ongoing effort to pipe 3.7 more miles of canal to conserve water and extend irrigation seasons, amidst a broader regional push led by the Deschutes River Conservancy to facilitate $6 million in infrastructure upgrades.

A Tale of Two Rivers - Running from First Street Rapids to Archie Briggs Canyon (and bac

September 6, 2024

Bend Bulletin - A Tale of Two Rivers

A stretch of the Deschutes River Trail highlights the impact of irrigation diversions, where the river transitions from full and powerful near First Street Rapids to a diminished stream at Sawyer Park, illustrating how water management has altered the river’s flow over time.

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