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 Zach Urness | Nov. 6, 2024 | Salem Statesman Journal The city of Lebanon on Monday requested an “immediate halt” to the drawdown of Green Peter Reservoir amid increasingly turbid water in the South Santiam River that is challenging the city’s drinking water systems. The city made the request as the amount of sediment in
Oregon Denies Lebanon’s Request to End Reservoir Drawdowns 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
By Kurtis Alexander | July 25, 2024 | San Francisco Chronicle The dams, collectively known as the Klamath Hydroelectric Project, were built between 1911 and 1962 to provide electricity. The nation’s largest dam-removal project is moving along faster than planned, with the demolition work on the Klamath River near the California-Oregon border due to wrap
By Samantha Kadera | July 25, 2024 | KDRV-TV News The Klamath Dam removal project is ahead of schedule. Ren Brownell, public information officer for the initiative, provided updates on the progress towards dam removal completion by late August or early September. “We will have volitional fish passage likely end of August, maybe the first
By Nicholas K. Geranios | July 24, 2024 | Cascade PBS Politicians are celebrating the tentative agreement, while activists and tribal leaders say it doesn’t do enough to protect endangered salmon runs. The United States and Canada have reached a new deal to manage the mighty Columbia River, an economic and environmental powerhouse that starts
U.S. and Canada Agree to Update 60 Year Old Columbia River Treaty Read More »
By Mason Kennedy | July 15, 2024 | Public News Service Oregonians have until July 22 to submit comments on the implementation of new environmental restrictions for the state’s largest farms. When the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 85 last year, regulations were signed into law for Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Now, the Oregon
Oregon Seeks Public Comment on Large-Scale Farming Regulations Read More »
By Michael Kohn | July 12, 2024 | Bend Bulletin On the last day of 2020, eight irrigation districts in Central Oregon and the city of Prineville entered into a landmark agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Their accord, the Deschutes Basin Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), spelled out in hundreds of pages of
Challenges and Gains for Water Conservation Plan Read More »
By Gene Johnson | July 11, 2024 | Associated Press The U.S. and Canada said Thursday they have agreed to update a six-decade-old treaty that governs the use of one of North America’s largest rivers, the Columbia, with provisions that officials said would provide for effective flood control, irrigation, and hydropower generation and sharing between
By the Jefferson Exchange Team | July 10, 2024 | Jefferson Public Radio By one person’s description, Evans Creek went from “a hot bathtub to a flowing stream.” The key was the removal of a dam, more than a century old, 100 feet long, and six feet high. Evans Creek is a Rogue River tributary
Jefferson Exchange: Dam Removals Continue on Rogue River Tributaries Read More »
By Susan Hiland | July 3, 2024 | Grants Pass Daily Courier A work crew last week moved logs into place along the edge of Evans Creek, creating new habitat for small critters to hide and eat in. Just days before, the spot was the site of the old Williams-Whalen Dam, which stood for 128
Williams-Whalen Dam Removal Restores Evans Creek Flow Read More »
By Shaun Hall | July 1, 2024 | Rogue Valley Times Another small dam has been removed in Southern Oregon to improve fish habitat. The 150-foot-wide, five-foot-high Williams-Whalen Dam on Evans Creek was demolished last week about 12.7 miles upriver from its confluence with the Rogue River. “This is great news for salmon and steelhead
Third Dam Removed, Fish Passage Improved on Evans Creek Read More »
By the Source Editorial Board | June 5, 2024 | The Source Weekly This year has been better than many, but the effects of years of drought are still among us. You’ve likely heard the doom-tales: aquifers depleted, rivers low, wells going dry. Over the past 20 years or so, the West has experienced a
A Change In Groundwater Allocation Rules Is Long Overdue Read More »
By Emily Cureton Cook and Alejandro Figueroa | May 30, 2024 | Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) Oregon lawmakers and water users will be keeping a close eye on the man who could soon lead the agency in charge of water rights, farm irrigation rules and oversight of drinking water wells. Oregon senators are expected to
Oregon Senate Expected to Vote on State Water Director Pick by End of the Week Read More »
By Julianna LaFollette | May 29, 2024 | The Source Weekly The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) is proposing new rules on how groundwater is allocated to better conserve water. The update would allow OWRD to assess if groundwater is available to support future groundwater rights. The proposed rules would guide OWRD in granting new
Oregon Set to Update How Groundwater Is Allocated Read More »
By Ian Rose | May 24, 2024 | Oregon Capital Chronicle Federal grants will help open miles of river and stream habitat for fish migration, while improving flood control and irrigation. The federal government has granted nearly $2 million for two projects in rural Oregon to restore habitat for endangered runs of salmon and other
Federal Money Headed to Oregon for Dam Removal, Fish Restoration Read More »
By Mateusz Perkowski | May 10, 2024 | Capital Press Water advocates of all stripes agree Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has nominated someone who knows the ropes to be the state’s top water official. Those hoping for fresh blood at the Oregon Water Resources Department, however, see her choice of a long-time employee, Ivan Gall,
Experienced Regulator Nominated as Oregon’s Top Water Official Read More »
By Ian James | May 3, 2024 | Los Angeles Times Workers have begun dismantling the largest dam on the Klamath River, using machinery to scoop the first loads of rocks from an earthen barrier that has stood near the border of California and Oregon for more than six decades. Several Indigenous leaders and activists
Activists See New Beginning with Dismantling of Largest Klamath River Dam Read More »
By Juliet Grable | May 2, 2024 | Jefferson Public Radio Deconstruction of Iron Gate dam, the lowest of the four dams along the Oregon-California border, has begun. The day began clear and chilly. By 8 a.m., the temperature hovered around freezing. Leaf Hillman and Lisa Morehead-Hillman, Karuk Tribal members who have spent decades advocating
The Klamath River’s Iron Gate Comes Down, One Scoop at a Time Read More »
By Michael Kohn | April 13, 2024 | Bend Bulletin Amid patches of snow and ponderosa pines, a half mile from Lava Island Falls in the Deschutes River, a pair of hydrologists with the Oregon Water Resources Department dropped a cable down an observation well to determine the depth of groundwater near Bend. The cable
Declining Aquifer Levels Raise Alarm Among Central Oregon Hydrologists and Officials Read More »
By Zach Freed | April 10, 2024 | Bend Bulletin Groundwater levels are falling around Oregon, drying up wells and streams as drought becomes more frequent and severe. Oregonians must make smart water choices to protect our rivers and drinking water for the long term. Durable water solutions in Oregon require a science-informed approach. Pumping
By Lauren Dake | March 22, 2024 | Oregon Public Broadcasting “From our point of view, if the state is going to give direct appropriations there should be transparency in the process and the projects should be explained at length so the public can have the opportunity to weigh in on them and understand if
Oregon Lawmakers Send Money for Housing Projects Down the Drain — Literally Read More »
By Alejandro Figueroa | March 21, 2024 | Oregon Public Broadcasting “Groundwater is critical to life. If we want to have farms in Oregon in the future, we need to get a handle on the groundwater crisis or everybody’s going to lose. And these rules are the first step to doing that.” — Neil Brandt
Oregon Proposes New Groundwater Rules to Add Clarity, Define Stable Levels Read More »
By Antonio Sierra | March 7, 2024 | Oregon Public Broadcasting As the state looks to reduce E. coli in Baker County’s Powder River, county officials question DEQ’s data and conclusions. Oregon has measured high levels of fecal bacteria in Baker County’s Powder River for years, and now they’re readying regulations to lower it. But
Powder River Clean-Up Plan Runs Into Blowback from Baker County Read More »
By Kendra Chamberlain | Feb. 29, 2024 | Columbia Insight In 2012, President Barack Obama praised a deal the city of Medford had made with the state to pay for shade trees to be planted along the Rogue River in order to offset the impacts of warm water discharges from the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
Oregon’s Thermal Trading Program is Popular — It’s Also Expensive and Unproven Read More »
By Kurtis Alexander | Feb. 22, 2024 | San Francisco Chronicle The nation’s largest dam-removal project, the dismantling of four hydroelectric dams near the border of California and Oregon border, may be the end of one story — but it’s the beginning of another. The native Shasta people, who were exiled from the banks of the
As Massive Klamath Dam Removal Project Nears Completion, Who Gets Once-Submerged Land? Read More »
By Anna Kaminski | Feb. 6, 2024 | Bend Bulletin The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, local land use watchdog organization Central Oregon LandWatch and a trio of Deschutes County residents have appealed a recent state land use decision on the Thornburgh destination resort as a part of an ongoing battle over the resort’s water
Latest Thornburgh Resort Decision Appealed to State Court of Appeals Read More »
By Connie Page | Feb. 4, 2024 | Roseburg News-Review I have seen multiple letters and programs recently about removing the Winchester Dam. I appreciate all the effort being put forward by local citizens. With over 111,000 citizens in Douglas County, and only 100-plus benefitting from this dam, I am surprised we have not heard
Winchester Dam: Setting a River Free is a Noble Deed Read More »
By Nate Humphrey | Jan. 13, 2024 | Bend Bulletin For those of us who have visited the North Umpqua River, it’s not a place you can forget. With cold, crystal-clear water, incredible wildlife, an abundance of native wildflowers and so much more, the North Umpqua’s beauty is unmatched. The North Umpqua and its salmon
Winchester Dam Serves No Purpose for the Fish of the North Umpqua Read More »
By John Hunter | Dec. 14, 2023 | Roseburg News-Review Opinion There can be no doubt that the Winchester Dam will be removed. History will justify that its removal was necessary. Once the dam is gone and the private water ski lake drained, Douglas County — with wise and proper planning — will experience an
Winchester Dam Removal Necessary, Will Create Economic Boom Read More »
By Mateusz Perkowski | Dec. 14, 2023 | Capital Press The irony of the legal dispute over upgrades to the Painted Hills Reservoir in Central Oregon is that everyone agrees the project helps the environment. Oregon’s water regulators have contributed money toward raising the dam and storing more water for fish, even though they’re now
Transfer Battle Has Far-Reaching Implications for Oregon Water Law Read More »
By Christopher Flavelle | Produced by Claire O’Neill, Matt McCann and Umi Syam | Edited by Lyndsey Layton and Douglas Alteen | Research contributed by Julie Tate | Nov. 24, 2023 | New York Times Some of the people fighting efforts to conserve a vital resource that’s disappearing across the United States include the owners
Uncharted Waters: As Groundwater Dwindles, Powerful Players Block Change Read More »
By Bill Poehler | Nov. 17, 2023 | Salem Statesman Journal The Oregon Water Resources Commission and the Court of Appeals have prohibited the dam, saying it might harm cutthroat trout that spawn in the creek. Oregon’s Court of Appeals this month upheld a previous ruling prohibiting construction of a new dam south of Silverton
Court of Appeals Denies Proposed Drift Creek Dam But Water District Intends to Appeal Read More »
By Alex Baumhardt | Nov. 13, 2023 | Oregon Capital Chronicle The cost of digging deeper wells could climb into the hundreds of millions if the state does not revamp groundwater permitting, officials told lawmakers. The Oregon Water Resources Department must update its 68-year-old rules for permitting new wells or double down on regulating existing
