In the Media Archives - DRC News & Resources

Central Oregon Daily: 950 adult steelhead pass Round Butte Dam in historic 2024–25 run

March 27, 2025

Central Oregon Daily: 950 adult steelhead pass Round Butte Dam in historic 2024–25 run

A record 950 adult steelhead returned to the Upper Deschutes Basin in 2024–2025, marking the strongest run since the 1960s and a major milestone in ongoing fish reintroduction efforts.

OPB: A ‘good’ water year in Central Oregon comes with murky political forecast

March 24, 2025

OPB: A ‘good’ water year in Central Oregon comes with murky political forecast

A wet winter has brought short-term relief to Central Oregon irrigators, but uncertainty looms as federal funding delays stall key water conservation projects. As debates around the Endangered Species Act resurface, some in the region hope political shifts will reshape water policy in their favor.

Bend Bulletin: Storms give Upper Deschutes a 20% boost in snowpack

March 19, 2025

Bend Bulletin: Storms give Upper Deschutes a 20% boost in snowpack

A mid-March storm dropped over 5 feet of snow in the Central Cascades, boosting snowpack to 139% of normal and improving water supply, ski conditions, and reservoir levels across Central Oregon.

Bend Bulletin: Editorial: Water bank is just what Deschutes Basin needs

March 14, 2025

Bend Bulletin: Editorial: Water bank is just what Deschutes Basin needs

House Bill 3806 proposes the creation of a voluntary water bank in the Deschutes Basin to facilitate water transfers between rights holders, providing flexibility amid increasing drought conditions. With strong support and built-in safeguards, the bill aims to help irrigation districts like North Unit manage water more effectively while preventing speculation and ensuring long-term sustainability.

Source Weekly: Kotek and Conservation Groups Want DEQ to Address Deschutes River Water Quality

March 6, 2025

Source Weekly: Kotek and Conservation Groups Want DEQ to Address Deschutes River Water Quality

Governor Kotek and six conservation groups are calling on DEQ to revisit water quality standards and dam operations on the lower Deschutes River. They cite environmental concerns, while PGE and the Warm Springs Tribe maintain that current measures meet regulatory requirements.

Bend Bulletin: Guest column: Irrigation districts and landowners are working together to protect water

February 28, 2025

Bend Bulletin: Guest column: Irrigation districts and landowners are working together to protect water

Despite challenges, the Deschutes Basin Board of Control reaffirms its commitment to the Deschutes Habitat Conservation Plan, highlighting ongoing progress through piping, water leasing, and collaborative conservation that has already secured over 150 cfs for streamflow restoration.

Redmond Spokesman: Delays loom for plan to increase Deschutes River winter flows

February 26, 2025

Redmond Spokesman: Delays loom for plan to increase Deschutes River winter flows

Delays in permitting canal piping projects may push back the Deschutes Basin Habitat Conservation Plan’s goal of increasing winter flows in the Deschutes River to 300 cfs by 2028, raising concerns about meeting conservation targets and protecting threatened species.

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.

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