Media and Press

WaterWatch Applauds Kotek Directive to Accelerate Climate Protections for State Lands, Waters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 23, 2025 For information, please contact:Tommy Hough, tommy@waterwatch.orgKimberley Priestley, kjp@waterwatch.org WaterWatch Applauds Governor Kotek’s Directive to Accelerate Climate Protections for State Lands and WatersCiting rivers, lakes, and wetlands, an executive order issued by the governor directs state agencies to prioritize application of climate resilient strategies into existing programs. Salem, Oregon — […]

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Irrigators, Tribes, Local Officials Push Back Against State Proposal to Curb Harney Basin Groundwater Crisis

By Alejandro Figueroa  |  Sept. 29, 2025  |  OPB A coalition of irrigators, tribes and local governments organized under state Rep. Mark Owens — a Republican from Harney County and a farmer — recently filed a petition asking the Oregon Water Resources Commission to consider a different set of rules that diverges from regulators own

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Alternative Proposed to Harney Basin Groundwater Restrictions

By Mateusz Perkowski  |  Sept. 18, 2025 |  Capital Press WaterWatch continues to express skepticism over a proposed regulatory scheme to boost groundwater in the Harney basin. Irrigators and other water users are advocating for alternative groundwater restrictions to be adopted in Oregon’s Harney basin rather than those proposed by state regulators. The coalition, which

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Oregon Supreme Court Rules Water Rights for Proposed Dam Were Improperly Denied

By Bill Poehler  |  Aug. 12, 2025 |  Salem Statesman Journal The Oregon Supreme Court remanded the Oregon Water Resources Commission’s denial of water rights by the East Valley Water District. The Oregon Water Resources Commission must reconsider its denial of a proposed dam in farmland south of Silverton, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled on

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Oregon Supreme Court Orders Reconsideration of Irrigation Reservoir Denial

By Mateusz Perkowski  |  Aug. 8, 2025  |  Capital Press Read WaterWatch of Oregon’s corresponding press release on the Oregon Supreme Court decision. An irrigation district must get another chance to persuade Oregon water regulators to approve a new Willamette Valley reservoir, according to a recent state Supreme Court ruling. The East Valley Water District’s

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Stricter Oregon Water Transfer Rules Die with End of Legislative Session

By Mateusz Perkowski  |  June 30, 2025  |  Capital Press Oregon’s legislative session ended with lawmakers not taking action on bills that would impose new environmental review regulations on certain water rights transfers. The debate over stricter rules for water rights transfers persisted throughout the session, but even the proposal with the most momentum, Senate

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Thornburgh Resort Site in Central Oregon Hits Another Water Rights Roadblock

By Emily Cureton Cook  |  April 6, 2025  |  Oregon Public Broadcasting A Deschutes County Circuit Court judge recently dealt a blow to plans for the much-contested Thornburgh resort in Central Oregon.  In a March 31st opinion, Judge Raymond Crutchley shot down a petition brought by the developer against state regulators over access to groundwater

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Bipartisan Groundwater Proposal Draws Bipartisan Opposition

By Mateusz Perkowski  |  March 31, 2025 |  Capital Press Bipartian legislation meant to staunch groundwater depletion in Oregon’s Harney Basin by bolstering voluntary conservation measures is drawing opposition from across the political spectrum. Though House Bill 3800 received support from some farmers and community leaders at a recent hearing, the proposal was characterized as

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Streamlined Water Rights Dispute Procedures Raise Due Process Fears

By Mateusz Perkowski  |  March 20, 2025  |  Capital Press Two Oregon lawmakers want to streamline how water rights disputes are resolved but the proposal is drawing criticism from organizations representing farmers and environmentalists. The amount of time needed to process certain water rights applications has been the subject of “constant complaints,” but grumbling won’t

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Oregon Proposals Clash Over Water Rights Transfer Reviews

By Mateusz Perkowski  |  March 11, 2025  |  Capital Press Public interest considerations couldn’t weigh on water rights transfers under an Oregon House bill, clashing with Senate legislation that would strengthen environmental reviews of such transactions. Proponents say House Bill 3501 would simply preserve the “status quo,” since state water regulators already don’t consider the

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Work Continues on Pomeroy Dam Project, Improving Illinois River Health

By Brinkley Hill  |  March 7, 2025  |  KDRV News The Pomeroy Dam was demolished and removed from the Illinois River during the summer of 2024, but the overall project continues this spring with infrastructure improvements to benefit native fish habitat and river ecosystems. WaterWatch of Oregon, a statewide environmental organization focused on streamflows and

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Irrigator Group Wants More “Teeth” for Aquifer Recharge Proposal

By Mateusz Perkowski  |  Feb. 14, 2025  |  Capital Press  Oregon lawmakers are considering a bill to expedite aquifer recharge projects but a group of irrigators is questioning whether the proposal goes far enough. Under House Bill 2988, state agencies would be directed to “reduce barriers” and expand the practice of recharging aquifers, which included

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Officials Remove Antiquated Pomeroy Dam After 125 Years — Here’s Why It’s Worth Celebrating

By Claire Huber  |  Jan. 27, 2025  |  The Cool Down The privately-owned Pomeroy Dam in southern Oregon has been removed from the Illinois River. As detailed by KLCC Radio, removing this dam will allow migratory fish native to the Illinois River to pass the irrigation dam’s original site without harm for the first time

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The Caddis Fly: Support New Instream Water Rights in the South Willamette Basin

The Caddis Fly  |  Jan. 12, 2025  |  Oregon Fly Fishing Blog Last spring the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced it applied for over 260 new instream water rights in the Willamette River system to protect instream flows for native fish and wildlife in the North Willamette, Mid-Willamette, and South Willamette basins.

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Winchester Dam Remains in Hot Water

By Gloria Coleman  |  Dec. 23, 2024  |  Roseburg News-Review On Sept. 17, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) issued a Notice of Noncompliance to the Winchester Water Control District (WWCD) regarding the Winchester Dam. The notice highlighted unauthorized repair activities, including concrete capping and foam injections, which deviated from the 2022 temporary

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OSU Study Underscores Need for State Regulation to Avert Economic, Ecological Crisis in Harney Basin

By Alejandro Figueroa  |  Dec. 4, 2024  |  Oregon Public Broadcasting The Harney Basin region in southeast Oregon sits in a semi-arid high desert. Yet, it’s dotted with green circles of water-hungry alfalfa grown for cattle feed. For years, scientists have closely studied the basin to get a more clear picture of just how much

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Private Equity Firm Sortis Backs Thornburgh Resort as it Fights for Central Oregon Water Rights

By Emily Cureton Cook  |  Nov. 25, 2024  |  Oregon Public Broadcasting A planned destination resort draws on deep pockets to battle state regulators in a high-stakes court case. In the witness box of a Deschutes County Circuit courtroom this month, Kameron DeLashmutt told the story of his connection to nearly 2,000 waterless acres near

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Water Permit Dispute Over Potential Drift Creek Dam Reaches Oregon Supreme Court

By Sophia Cossette  |  Nov. 21, 2024  |  Woodburn Independent A decade-long fight over the water rights to stream water in Marion County may finally be coming to a head. The dispute between the East Valley Water District and the environmental nonprofit WaterWatch of Oregon over water law involving a proposed dam on Drift Creek

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Groups Demand State, Federal Action on Nitrate Pollution in Letters to Oregon Governor, EPA

By Alex Baumhardt  |  Oct. 31, 2024  |  Oregon Capital Chronicle More than 20 groups across the U.S. said nitrate from farm fertilizers and manure is contaminating drinking water and disproportionately hurting rural communities. Nonprofit community groups in Oregon and nationwide are calling on elected leaders and officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

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First Sighting of Salmon in 100 Years Marks Key Milestone for Landmark Dam Removals

By Kurtis Alexander  |  Oct. 4, 2024  |  San Francisco Chronicle In an early victory for the nation’s largest dam removal project, the first salmon in more than a century is believed to have pushed up the Klamath River this past week into waters formerly blocked by dams. Scientists with the nonprofit California Trout told

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Water Resources Commission Adopts Update to Groundwater Allocation Rules

By KTVZ Staff  |  Sept. 12, 2024  |  KTVZ News The Oregon Water Resources Commission voted unanimously Thursday to adopt updates to Oregon’s groundwater allocation rules, “marking a historic step in how the state manages and allocates groundwater,” according to the agency and its supporters while critics of the new rules said they will press

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Groundwater Rights in Oregon Just Got Even More Valuable — Here’s Why

By Emily Cureton Cook  |  Sept. 12, 2024 |  Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon water regulators have spent the last three years working on a plan to prevent groundwater declines that could cause roughly 40,000 home wells statewide to dry up. That plan now has a crucial greenlight. The Oregon Water Resources Commission unanimously voted for

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