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 […]
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
Alternative Proposed to Harney Basin Groundwater Restrictions Read More »
By Kendra Chamberlain | Aug. 27, 2025 | Columbia Insight A court decision has upheld existing instream water rights held by the state on Drift Creek, a tributary of the Pudding River. A decision by the Oregon Supreme Court is being lauded as a win for fish, but could throw a wrench into future water
Proposal Denied for Dam Near Oregon’s Silver Falls State Park Read More »
By Monique Merrill | Aug. 21, 2025 | Courthouse News While a controversial southern Oregon dam may delay the migration of a threatened species of salmon, the impact isn’t significant enough to violate federal environmental laws, a federal judge in Portland ruled on Thursday. “This court concludes that plaintiffs have not proven by a preponderance of
WaterWatch Continues its Efforts to Remove Winchester Dam Read More »
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
Oregon Supreme Court Rules Water Rights for Proposed Dam Were Improperly Denied Read More »
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
Oregon Supreme Court Orders Reconsideration of Irrigation Reservoir Denial Read More »
By Nathaniel Perales | Aug. 1, 2025 | High Country News “My vision was to build a healthy ecosystem for all who live in it.” Mary Lou Soscia is a Columbia River advocate and a 38-year employee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): “When I came to work at the EPA, it was still
WaterWatch’s Mary Lou Soscia Profiled in High Country News Read More »
By Tim Palmer | July 12, 2025 | New York Times Floods are inevitable. Catastrophe is not. Images and stories of the devastation wrought by the July 4th flood of the Guadalupe River in Texas will stay with many of us for a long time. There has been an outpouring of compassion and sorrow for
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
Stricter Oregon Water Transfer Rules Die with End of Legislative Session Read More »
By Marcy Cottrell Houle | May 14, 2025 | Los Angeles Times We are on the cusp of losing the integrity of one of the most significant environmental acts ever enacted in the United States. Why should this matter? As the Pulitzer Prize-winning evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson put it: “We should preserve every scrap of
The Endangered Species Act Faces Its Own Existential Threat Read More »
By Morgan Owen | April 9, 2025 | Bend Bulletin In a major win for water rights activists, a Deschutes County judge has dismissed an appeal made by developers of the luxury Thornburgh Resort, upholding an earlier decision denying the resort a permit to draw water from the Deschutes River aquifer. This ruling is the
Judge’s Ruling Creates Another Water Rights Roadblock for Thornburgh Read More »
By Mateusz Perkowski | April 8, 2025 | Capital Press Oregon lawmakers won’t prohibit building large livestock operations in areas with heightened groundwater protections this year, but the idea may not be abandoned for long. Though there isn’t enough agreement on this “explosive issue” for the proposal to pass in 2025, discussions about remedying aquifer
Oregon CAFO Prohibition Bill Won’t Move This Session Read More »
By Peter Madsen | April 8, 2025 | The Source Weekly Circuit court ruled in favor of state regulators’ previous denial. The developers of a disputed resort were handed the latest in a series of setbacks in their attempt to tap the Deschutes River Basin. On March 31st, the Deschutes County Circuit Court dismissed Thornburgh
Thornburgh Resort Once Again Denied Access To Deschutes River Basin Read More »
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
Thornburgh Resort Site in Central Oregon Hits Another Water Rights Roadblock Read More »
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
Bipartisan Groundwater Proposal Draws Bipartisan Opposition Read More »
By Mateusz Perkowski | March 27, 2025 | Capital Press Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek backs a bill would create a “targeted review” of water transfer requests to ensure they don’t impair water quality or threatened, endangered, or sensitive aquatic species. Of the three bills proposing to reform Oregon water rights transfers this legislative session, the
Governor Kotek Backs Oregon Water Transfer Reviews Read More »
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
Streamlined Water Rights Dispute Procedures Raise Due Process Fears Read More »
By Samantha Kadera | March 11, 2025 | KDRV News WaterWatch of Oregon is urging residents to oppose House Bill 3501, a bill that would prevent the state from considering the public interest, such as the impacts to fish, wildlife, and water quality, when reviewing water right transfers. The bill would weaken protections for Oregon’s
WaterWatch of Oregon Takes Stand Against HB 3501 Read More »
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
Oregon Proposals Clash Over Water Rights Transfer Reviews Read More »
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
Work Continues on Pomeroy Dam Project, Improving Illinois River Health Read More »
By Mateusz Perkowski | Feb. 22, 2025 | Capital Press Oregon lawmakers may overhaul grant-making policies for water projects, which an environmental group worries would undermine public benefits in the name of improving efficiency. The Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Agriculture Committee have introduced House Bill 3364, which would revise numerous rules for
By Mateusz Perkowski | Feb. 21, 2025 | Capital Press Oregon farm organizations are leery of a bill that would buttress the state government’s authority to require irrigators to measure and report water use. State regulators have been able to require irrigators to measure water use under certain circumstances for more than a century, but
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
Irrigator Group Wants More “Teeth” for Aquifer Recharge Proposal Read More »
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
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.
The Caddis Fly: Support New Instream Water Rights in the South Willamette Basin Read More »
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
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
By Chrissy Ewald | Nov. 27, 2024 | Grants Pass Daily Courier Demolition is complete of a concrete dam that used to arc 270 feet across the Illinois River near Cave Junction and blocked access to 100 miles of spawning grounds for salmon, steelhead, and other migratory fish. The removal of the Pomeroy Dam marks
On the Illinois River, Pomeroy Dam is Now Just a Memory Read More »
By Kade Stirling | Nov. 26, 2024 | KOBI-TV News With the successful removal of Pomeroy Dam, the Rogue Basin’s highest-priority barrier to native fish has come down. WaterWatch of Oregon, the statewide water conservation group, worked with state and national partners like the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the U.S. Forest
Pomeroy Dam Removal Complete, Construction Continues Into 2025 Read More »
By Roman Battaglia | Nov. 26, 2024 | Jefferson Public Story The Pomeroy Dam was first built in 1896 for irrigation. The current concrete version of the dam was built in the 1940s. Since then, it’s prevented fish like salmon and steelhead from going upstream to spawn in one of the Rogue River’s major tributaries.
A 126-Year-Old Dam Comes Down on the Illinois River Read More »
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
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
Water Permit Dispute Over Potential Drift Creek Dam Reaches Oregon Supreme Court Read More »
By Bill Poehler | Nov. 8, 2024 | Salem Statesman Journal Oregon Supreme Court justices Thursday heard an appeal of a ruling denying a water right to a group of farmers in Marion and Clackamas counties who want to build a dam on a creek where cutthroat trout spawn. The lawyer for the East Valley
Oregon Justices Hear Appeal from Farmers Who Want to Build a Dam on Drift Creek Read More »
By Lily Roby | Nov. 7, 2024 | Courthouse News After more than two decades of fighting, the East Valley Water District appeared before the Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday to once again push for approval of a water permit for a proposed dam. The district — which represents farmers between Silverton, Woodburn, and Molalla
Battle Over Oregon Dam Reaches State Supreme Court Read More »
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)
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
First Sighting of Salmon in 100 Years Marks Key Milestone for Landmark Dam Removals Read More »
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
Water Resources Commission Adopts Update to Groundwater Allocation Rules Read More »
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
Groundwater Rights in Oregon Just Got Even More Valuable — Here’s Why Read More »
Hosted by Mike Green | Sept. 11, 2024 | Jefferson Public Radio Jim McCarthy, Southern Oregon program director at WaterWatch of Oregon, joined the Jefferson Exchange to discuss the controversy over incomplete repairs of the 134-year-old Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River in Douglas County, and the growing movement to remove it altogether. Listen
Jim McCarthy on Campaign to Remove Winchester Dam on JPR’s Jefferson Exchange Read More »
By Gloria Coleman | Aug. 3, 2024 | Roseburg News-Review WaterWatch of Oregon, Native Fish Society, The Steamboaters, Umpqua Watersheds, The North Umpqua Foundation, James V. McCarthy and Kirk Blaine submitted a motion to intervene and support the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) in the civil lawsuit against the Winchester Water Control District
