Category: Deschutes Program

Thornburgh Resort Defeat Marks Reprieve for Central Oregon Fish, Wildlife, and Water

April 7, 2025 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information, please contact:Tommy Hough, WaterWatch of Oregon, tommy@waterwatch.org Thornburgh Resort Defeat Marks Reprieve for Central Oregon Fish, Wildlife, and WaterState agency’s earlier denial of a limited water use license was upheld because the proposed resort would use water far more quickly than it can be naturally replenished and

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Rescue effort aims to save stranded Deschutes River fish

Rescue effort aims to save stranded Deschutes River fish Annual die-off occurs at small channel when river flows are reduced By Hilary Corrigan The Bulletin October 14, 2016 Volunteers and contractors spent part of this week shocking, netting and moving stranded fish from a dry river channel near Bend in what’s become an annual fish

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Groups seek settlement talks in spotted frog case

Groups seek settlement talks in spotted frog case At issue is water management in the Deschutes River Basin By Taylor W. Anderson Bend Bulletin March 24, 2016 Two groups suing to change water management practices in the Deschutes River Basin to protect a threatened frog are asking the federal judge in the cases to set

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Judge To Hear Water Case For Upper Deschutes

Judge To Hear Water Case For Upper Deschutes by Amanda Peacher OPB March 20, 2016 A federal judge in Eugene will hear a case Tuesday about water management in the Upper Deschutes River. Environmental groups want to see more regular flows coming out of Wickiup Reservoir on the Upper Deschutes River. They say the way

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In My View: It’s time to save the Upper Deschutes

In My View: It’s time to save the Upper Deschutes By Doug La Placa Bend Bulletin March 19, 2016 2013 Upper Deschutes River fish kill. Photo by Doug La Placa. When I was in the second grade a friend brought over a beat-up old fly rod. We tied on some fishing line and ran to

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Guest Commentary: Just Add Water

Guest Commentary: Just Add Water BY CRAIG LACY Bend Source March 16, 2016 Few people alive remember what the Upper Deschutes River was like before Wickiup Dam was built in 1949. It was then regarded as one of the finest fisheries in the US. In 1914 Clyde McKay received the Field and Stream award for

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Editorial Board: WaterWatch has a valid point about the Deschutes

Editorial Board: WaterWatch has a valid point about the Deschutes Bend Bulletin January 31, 2016 In the matter of the lawsuit filed by WaterWatch of Oregon over the Oregon spotted frog, WaterWatch has a point. We don’t agree with the lawsuit or think a lawsuit is a good strategy for improving the river. But just

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In My View: Restore the Deschutes River to its natural flow

In My View: Restore the Deschutes River to its natural flow By Gail Snyder Bend Bulletin September 17, 2015 2013 Upper Deschutes River fish kill. Photo by Doug La Placa. A recent Bulletin article referenced “natural low flows” in the Deschutes River. That description might be misleading. Under natural conditions, flows in the Deschutes River

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In My View: Water usage must change to help the Deschutes River

In My View: Water usage must change to help the Deschutes River By Jeff Perin Bend Bulletin August 27, 2015 2013 Upper Deschutes River fish kill. Photo by Doug La Placa. Fishing is my life. Most days you’ll find me at my fly-fishing shop in Sisters, but every chance I get I head out on

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Metolius resort may face water snag

Metolius resort may face water snag By Nick Budnick Bend Bulletin February 14, 2009 Talks are under way on Ponderosa’s well plan, but it may go to a judge SALEM — The Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co. wants to drill as many as 10 wells 1,000 feet into the earth to draw water for the

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Water Trade-Off Bolsters Rivers

Water Trade-Off Bolsters Rivers By James Sinks Bend Bulletin April 22, 2008 SALEM — The straws are drilled deep underground, sucking more water to satisfy the thirst of development across Central Oregon. Yet at the same time, there’s more water flowing down the Deschutes River during the dry summer months when once it ran low.

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A legal victory for the Deschutes

A legal victory for the Deschutes Bend Bulletin February 17, 2008 This week, a federal judge blessed the Swalley Irrigation District’s plan to pipe a section of leaky canal. The ruling caps more than two years of legal wrangling and comes, no doubt, as a relief to most Swalley members. But in a larger

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Piping project could help fish return to Middle Deschutes

Piping project could help fish return to Middle Deschutes By Kate Ramsayer Bend Bulletin August 06, 2007 Two decades ago, Tumalo Creek ran dry downstream of Shevlin Park in the summer, as the Tumalo Irrigation District diverted water to supply farmers. Things have improved a bit for the lower section of the creek since

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Dropping rural Oregon groundwater levels causing concerns

Dropping rural Oregon groundwater levels causing concerns Bend Bulletin (AP) March 14, 2007 SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A homebuilder in rural Oregon can still sink a well and usually pump up to 15,000 gallons of water a day. But well levels are dropping, and in Salem the situation is getting another look as agriculture, fishery

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