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The Oregon Department of Water Resources is finalizing a plan to protect the Deschutes River from excessive ground water pumping and new development.

In the coming week it is **vital** that the Department hear from river advocates who are concerned about the health of the Deschutes!  Development interests and others are pressuring them to weaken key areas of the plan — please take a few moments to email the Water Resources Department to adopt a strong plan to protect the river!  Your comments are needed by April 27th, 2001!

BACKGROUND

The Deschutes Rivers is one of Oregon’s most treasured waterways, but it is also one of our state’s most threatened.  For decades water has been drained from the river to irrigate cropland in the high desert.  Its designation as both a state Scenic Waterway and a federal Wild and Scenic River has given the Deschutes some protection, but now booming population growth and sprawl development in Central Oregon is placing more pressure than ever on the Deschutes.

Barred from taking water directly from the river, developers are pressing the state government for the right to pump more groundwater.

A US Geological Survey study found that groundwater in the Deschutes basin is linked to flows in the river.  The Deschutes is fed largely by underground water sources.  Excessive groundwater pumping could rob the river of flows needed to sustain fish, wildlife, and recreation.

TAKE ACTION:  In 1999 the Water Resources Department convened a diverse working group made up of irrigators, developers, Native American Tribes, conservationists, and others and charged it with making recommendations on how to meet local water needs while protecting the beloved Deschutes.  Those talks were the basis for a proposed new groundwater mitigation plan.

Some development interests are now working behind the scenes to undermine key elements of the plan.  It is **vital** that the Department hear from river advocates who wish to see the Deschutes protected for today and future generations!

Please take a few moments to email comments in support of strong groundwater management plan to the Oregon Water Resources Department.  Tell them that:

- Developers who want to pump groundwater must provide “bucket-for-bucket” replacement of water to the river to offset the impacts of groundwater pumping.  Water must be returned to the Deschutes in equal amounts, and at the same time, as water is pumped from the underground sources that feed the river.

- The water provided as mitigation must be legally protected instream – it should never be given away for new development or irrigation.  There must be mitigation for as long as the new groundwater right exists. Since water rights are granted forever and therefore will impact the Deschutes River forever, mitigation water must also be assured for the life of the water right. Temporary fixes will not protect the river.

- The rules that the state will be developing to implement this plan need to be very detailed in order to ensure that mitigation actually happens, and that it does protect the river.  While the current draft of the plan serves as a good “overview” document, it lacks sufficient detail to guide the approval, implementation, and enforcement of actual mitigation.

- The plan does not go far enough.  While a good start, the plan fails to address critical issues like water quality.  The water from underground sources that flows into the Deschutes is clear and cold – mitigation with warm, dirty water from farmers fields won’t protect the fish and wildlife of the river.  Urge them to make the plan stronger and protect water quality.

Please take a few moments to craft an email today and send it to Laura.K.Snedaker (at) wrd (dot) state (dot) or (dot) us.  Your comments MUST arrive before 5 PM on April the 27th, 2001 in order to be considered in this process!  WRD has not yet made copies of the draft report available to the public via the internet.  To request a copy please call 1-800-624-3199 ext. 331.

If you have questions, or need more information, please contact Kimberley Priestley at (503) 295-4039 ext. 23, or email kjp (at) waterwatch (dot) org.
Thank you!