Advocating for Reform Program

Written Remarks in Support of Revised Groundwater Allocation Rules

May 21, 2024 The public comment period has now closed on this initiative. If enacted, long-overdue updates to the state’s groundwater allocation rules will begin to rein in Oregon’s decades-long pattern of over-issuing pumping rights, and implement the guidelines of Oregon’s forward-looking, landmark 1955 Ground Water Act, including proposed changes to better account for impacts […]

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Oregon Court of Appeals Upholds Order Against McKenzie River Water Speculators

Oregon Court of Appeals Upholds Order Against McKenzie River Water Speculators Another Victory for McKenzie River and WaterWatch November 15, 2017 Order available here. Mckenzie River by Doug Heiken Today, the Oregon Court of Appeals upheld a final order denying the Willamette Water Company’s controversial application for a permit to withdraw 34 cubic feet per second

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2016 Oregon Legislative Roundup

2016 Oregon Legislative Roundup The short session of the 2016 Oregon State Legislature was not for the faint of heart. With over 250 bills to consider, and Republicans’ dramatic stalling tactics causing disarray, the session quickly became tense – and stayed that way. The results for rivers were mixed. A handful of non- controversial bills

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Draining Oregon: Water Giveaway Threatens Economic Chaos and Hurts Wildlife

By Kelly House and Mark Graves  |  July 26, 2016  |  The Oregonian: Draining Oregon Oregon is helping farmers drain the state’s underground reservoirs to grow cash crops in the desert, throwing sensitive ecosystems out of balance and fueling an agricultural boom that cannot be sustained, The Oregonian has found. Managers with the Oregon Water

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2015 Legislative Roundup

2015 Legislative Roundup With the help of WaterWatch members, the 2015 legislative session ended with critical agency funding intact, the defeat of a slew of bad water bills, and the elevation of a number of important policy issues. We could not have done it without you! Your voices were critical to our success this year.

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Removal of Obsolete Dams Benefits Rivers, the Public, and Landowners

By Jim McCarthy and Tonya Graham  |  Sept. 6, 2015  |  Medford Mail-Tribune In recent years, the growing number of successful removals of obsolete dams on North America’s salmon-bearing streams has become a celebrated symbol of progress, and represents a fundamental change in our relationship with rivers. The communities of the Rogue River Basin have

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Oregon Water Resources Department Denies Water Permit to Willamette Water Company

March 10, 2014 Oregon Water Resources Department Denies Water Permit to Willamette Water Company Victory for McKenzie River and WaterWatch On March 7, 2014, the Oregon Water Resources Department issued a final order denying the Willamette Water Company’s controversial application for a permit to withdraw 34 cubic feet per second (22 million gallons per day) from the

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WaterWatch of Oregon Statement Regarding Announcement of a Klamath Basin Water Agreement

For Immediate Release March 5, 2014 WaterWatch of Oregon Statement Regarding Announcement of a Klamath Basin Water Agreement While reducing upper basin irrigation water demand by 30,000 acre-feet is a welcome step in the right direction, it is nowhere near enough to solve the profound water imbalance impacting the entire Klamath Basin. Joining this positive

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2013 Oregon Legislature Roundup

2013 Oregon Legislature Roundup Water issues were front and center during Oregon’s 2013 legislative session, and WaterWatch was there promoting sound policies and defending against efforts to undermine protections for our rivers and streams. Here’s a summary of how our top legislative priorities fared in 2013: Water Resources Department Budget In what could been viewed

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Conservationists, Fishing Interests Respond to U.S. Treaty Recommendation for Columbia River

Center for Environmental Law & Policy * WaterWatch of Oregon * Pacific Rivers Council   Save Our Wild Salmon * Sierra Club * Columbia Institute for Water Policy For Immediate Release Conservationists, Fishing Interests Respond to U.S. Treaty Recommendation for Columbia River December 13, 2013 Contacts: Pat Ford (SOS) 208.345-9067 pford@wildidaho.org (Boise) Rachael Paschal Osborn (Columbia

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Senators Merkley and Wyden Introduce Crooked River Collaborative Water Security Act of 2013

Statement by Kimberley Priestley, WaterWatch of Oregon’s Senior Policy Analyst, on the November 21, 2013 introduction of the Crooked River Collaborative Water Security Act: “This collaborative bill is a blueprint for a healthier Crooked River and secure water supply for local communities, backed by a broad coalition of irrigation, municipal, tribal and conservation interests. It

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