by Bill Poehler, Statesman Journal | January 2020 | The Statesman Journal The first time Anna Rankin went to the Scotts Mills Dam, she noticed crosses and flowers on the banks below the dam. When Rankin, the executive director of the Pudding River Watershed Council, asked about the markers, she learned there had been a […]
By Bill Poehler | Dec. 17, 2019 | The Statesman Journal Joel Rue welcomed a group of fellow farmers and friends into his home in Victor Point, located in a canyon between Silverton and Silver Falls State Park, in 2005. Over the next few hours, the farmers from around Mount Angel explained how for decades
Farmers Band Together to Stop Dam from Being Built on Drift Creek Read More »
By Peter Wong | Nov. 27, 2019 | Hillsboro News-Times When the largest public works project in Washington County is completed seven years from now, it will draw millions of gallons from the Willamette River and deliver the water to Hillsboro, the Tualatin Valley Water District (TVWD), and Beaverton. For Hillsboro, the Willamette Water Supply
Officials Explain Benefits of Drawing Water from the Willamette River Read More »
By Jim McCarthy | Sept. 10, 2019 | The Osprey As climate change stresses salmon, the benefits of Rogue dam removals stand out. The Rogue River, in Oregon, is one of the most productive salmon and steelhead rivers in the Pacific Northwest, with five runs of salmon and steelhead, plus lamprey and cutthroat trout. Yet,
by John DeVoe, WaterWatch Executive Director | 25 Sept 2019 | The Bend Source Weekly On Oct. 4, a long awaited proposal from eight irrigation districts and the City of Prineville called a Habitat Conservation Plan (Plan) will be made public. The Plan, and an accompanying draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will outline and
by WaterWatch of Oregon Staff | 5 Aug 2019 | Bend Source Weekly On Sunday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued a press release that House Bill 2437 is one of the bills that she may veto before Aug. 9. WaterWatch of Oregon is urging the Governor to indeed veto this bill. We also want to
The state has done little to prevent water scarcity as climate change and population growth take hold by Emily Green | 5 Jul 2019 | StreetRoots 2015 was not a good year for water in Oregon. It was the third year in a row of drought. As spring and summer slogged on, 25 counties across the
Recently, WaterWatch executive director John DeVoe sat down with Phil Busse, journalist and host of XRAY Radio’s “The Non-Profit Hour.” The two talked about all things water during a leisurely half-hour conversation that also included tidbits on Handel and James McMurtry’s “Levelland.” Click to listen to their conversation.
The two bills present a test for Gov. Kate Brown. By Nigel Jaquiss | 12 Jun 2019 | Willamette Week Last month, Portland commemorated the 71st anniversary of the Vanport Flood, which killed 15 people and displaced 40,000 from a black neighborhood in North Portland. But state officials may not have learned all the lessons
By Bill Poehler and Tracy Loew | May 29, 2019 | Salem Statesman Journal For 30 years, powerful Oregon interests including cities, farmers, industry, and environmentalists have been slugging it out for access to water. Since they were constructed in the 1930s, billions of gallons of water have been hidden behind the Willamette River Basin’s
Cities, Farmers, and Fish Compete for Rights to Water Stored by Willamette River Dams Read More »
Vanport Flood’s legacy in Columbia River dams: Guest opinion Updated May 30, 1:36 PM; Posted May 30, 1:15 PM Vanport Flood (LC- Oregon Historical Society) The Oregonian/OregonLive By John DeVoe A building on Second Avenue in Portland has two small markers: One says “High Water Mark – 1894.” That marker is about at my shoulder level. The second
Vanport Flood’s legacy in Columbia River dams: Guest opinion Read More »
By Rob Chaney | April 13, 2018 | The Missoulian Fire up half a dozen bulldozers over a summer and Canada could turn the Kootenai River away from Libby Dam and pour its water into the Columbia River. Nobody’s planning to do that. But somebody thought it was significant enough to include in the 1964
Columbia River Treaty Watchers Hope to Right 50 Years of Wrongs Read More »
Conservation groups to file lawsuit over Klamath River water flow By The Associated Press April 4, 2013 GRANTS PASS — Two conservation groups warned federal agencies Thursday they plan to sue to get more water devoted to protected salmon in the Klamath River. Oregon Wild and WaterWatch of Oregon filed a 60-day notice of intent
Conservation groups to file lawsuit over Klamath River water flow Read More »
Klamath Advocates Condemn Bureau of Reclamation’s Willful Destruction of the “Everglades of the West” Conservationists Call on Gov. Kate Brown, Senators Wyden and Merkley to Stop Likely Catastrophic Waterfowl Die-Off, Hold Bureau Accountable for Longstanding Waste and Abuse Contacts: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, (541) 708-0731 Bob Sallinger, Audubon Society of Portland, (503) 380-9728 Steve Pedery,
Klamath Advocates Condemn Destruction of the “Everglades of the West” Read More »
State should slam shut loophole that allowed dairy to tap aquifer Statesman Journal Editorial Board March 24, 2018 Water is a finite natural resource. So Oregon taxpayers should never have to read that state officials have no idea how much water a commercial operation is taking out of an endangered aquifer.
State should slam shut loophole that allowed dairy to tap aquifer Read More »
State officials let mega-dairy use loophole to tap endangered Oregon aquifer By: Tracy Loew, Statesman Journal March 22, 2018 A year after it opened, Oregon’s second-largest dairy has not secured rights to the nearly 1 million gallons of water per day it needs for its thousands of cows and to process milk. Instead, Lost Valley Farm near Boardman moved ahead
State officials let mega-dairy use loophole to tap endangered Oregon aquifer Read More »
GUEST VIEWPOINT New treaty must address ecosystem concerns By John DeVoe The Register-Guard January 28, 2018
“Birds Take Backseat to Fish, Farms in the Klamath Basin,” July 24, 2017
Impact of Management Practices on the Klamath Wildlife Refuge Read More »
Brown signs bill protecting salmon habitat from river mining BY ANDREW THEEN The Oregonian/OregonLive June 14, 2017 Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill Wednesday that protects thousands of miles of critical salmon habitat across much of western Oregon from suction dredge mining.
Brown signs bill protecting salmon habitat from river mining Read More »
By Andrew Theen | April 19, 2017 | The Oregonian A House committee gave its blessing this week to a bill that would charge an annual fee to tens of thousands of Oregon water rights holders — but not without a last second twist. Rep. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, introduced an amendment to his proposed water user
By Andrew Theen | April 14, 2017 | The Oregonian The House Committee on Energy and the Environment on Wednesday endorsed House Bill 2707, which some lawmakers say would dramatically accelerate the state’s ability to analyze its groundwater supply. That legislation now heads to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, the state’s budget writing
Draining Oregon: Bill to Fund $8.2 Million in Groundwater Studies Passes Key Hurdle Read More »
Oregon Senate passes permanent dredging-ban bill By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune April 10, 2017 A permanent ban on suction dredging in Western Oregon’s wild salmon habitat championed by the late Democratic Sen. Alan Bates passed out of the Oregon Senate on Monday
Oregon Senate passes permanent dredging-ban bill Read More »
Proposed Oregon mega-dairy wins key permit by Tracy Loew Statesman Journal March 31, 2017 A dairy with 30,000 animals proposed for Eastern Oregon has won state approval of its plan to manage the 187 million gallons of manure it will produce each year. Lost Valley Farm would be the second-largest confined animal feeding operation (CAFO)
By Andrew Theen | March 21, 2017 | The Oregonian: Draining Oregon Oregon lawmakers will hold a first hearing Wednesday on three bills designed to address the state’s long-standing inability to measure and study its groundwater supply, and how to pay for it. Rep. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, introduced the bills on the heels of a
Draining Oregon: Lawmakers Plan Hearings on Three Water Bills Read More »
Judge Orders More Water Releases From Klamath River Dams by Cassandra Profita OPB/EarthFix February 8, 2017 In a ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge William Orrick ordered more water releases from dams on the Klamath River to flush out parasites causing deadly disease outbreaks in salmon. In recent drought years, scientists have found extremely high rates
Judge Orders More Water Releases From Klamath River Dams Read More »
Conservation Groups Sue To Get More Water To Klamath Wildlife Refuges by Jes Burns OPB/EarthFix January 18, 2017 Three Oregon conservation groups say a new plan to manage National Wildlife Refuges in the Klamath Basin doesn’t do enough to protect habitat. The groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Medford to force
Conservation Groups Sue To Get More Water To Klamath Wildlife Refuges Read More »
Klamath dam removals heavily supported by community by Natalya Estrada The Eureka Times-Standard January 12, 2017 Close to 100 people showed up to speak for the removal of the four dams on the Klamath River at a public meeting put on by the California State Water Resource Control Board in Arcata on Thursday evening. The
Klamath dam removals heavily supported by community Read More »
Audit: Oregon’s water watchdog agency is understaffed, overworked, has no plan for future by Andrew Theen The Oregonian/OregonLive December 15, 2016 Oregon’s Water Resources Department doesn’t have enough inspectors to enforce the state’s water laws, has no “clear understanding” of how much water is being used statewide and has no plan for the future, according
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
Rescue effort aims to save stranded Deschutes River fish Read More »
Klamath Irrigators Should Not Have Gotten $32M From Federal Agency: Report by Jes Burns OPB/EarthFix October 13, 2016 A new audit finds that Klamath irrigators should not have received millions of dollars in taxpayer money. The money was used to pay farmers not to use scarce water supplies from streams and rivers in the Klamath
Klamath Irrigators Should Not Have Gotten $32M From Federal Agency: Report Read More »
Editorial: Short on aquifer information By the Editorial Board Baker City Herald September 21, 2016 When you irrigate fields and pastures from a reservoir or a stream, it’s easy to tell when you’re running short on water. You just have to look. But the situation is nothing like as simple when it comes to some
EDITORIAL: Water, water everywhere But Oregon’s aquifers are being drained By the Editorial Board Eugene Register-Guard September 14, 2016 A recent report by The (Portland) Oregonian about the massive amount of water being pumped from Oregon’s underground reservoirs, much of it for agricultural uses in Eastern Oregon, with little oversight or control, should set off
By the Oregonian Editorial Board | Sept. 10, 2016 | The Oregonian: Draining Oregon State regulators approve permits for wells in Oregon even as they suspect there isn’t enough water in some areas to keep pace. A permit application might state it “cannot be determined” whether enough ground water existed for the well. Yet time
Op-Ed: Eastern Oregon is running out of water By Dorys C. Grover East Oregonian September 9, 2016 Water, one day, may be the drink of choice. We will be thirsty. One day we may find our high groundwater extraction has caused our aquifers to run out of water. There may come a day when our
By Kelly House | Aug. 26, 2016 | The Oregonian: Draining Oregon Government agencies have spent more than $2.8 million in taxpayer money on this tiny Columbia River tributary since 2004. Workers have planted shade willows on the banks, lined its rocky bottom with logpile hiding places, and fenced off cattle from the sensitive habitat.
By Kelly House | Aug. 26, 2016 | The Oregonian: Draining Oregon Rancher Harold Knieriem thought his days of worrying about water would end with retirement. No more angst when the skies dry up or a mild winter dollops too little snow on the mountains, leaving his cattle to dine on withered grass. Then the
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
Draining Oregon: Water Giveaway Threatens Economic Chaos and Hurts Wildlife Read More »
By Tracy Loew | May 24, 2016 | Salem Statesman Journal The city of Salem has agreed to sell part of its water rights on the Willamette River to the fast-growing city of Hillsboro. If the deal goes through it will earn Salem $16.2 million, which will be used to improve the city’s water infrastructure.
Salem to Sell Unused Water Right for $16.2 Million Read More »
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
Groups seek settlement talks in spotted frog case Read More »
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
