Oct. 22, 2024
We need your help generating support for new legal protections for instream flows for fish in the Middle Willamette River basin, including segments of the North, Middle, and South forks of the Santiam River, Calapooia River, Luckiamute River, Long Tom River, West Fork Marys River, and many more.
As we noted in our action alerts on the North Willamette last month, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has applied for a total of 269 instream water rights in the North Willamette, Mid-Willamette, and Upper Willamette basins to protect natural flows in dozens of the Willamette’s tributaries.
You came through with your support for North Willamette applications — now we need your help to drive support for ODFW’s 67 Mid-Willamette applications. The comment period closes Thursday, Oct. 31st, at 5 p.m.
Approval of these applications falls to the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD), so it’s important those of us who love Oregon rivers weigh in with our support now.
Instream Water Rights do not harm existing water rights, but do protect flows from new withdrawals going forward. Establishing protection for instream flows for fish is critical to maintaining healthy rivers in the face of climate change. There’s more at the ODFW StoryMap Overview, and an ODFW Frequently Asked Questions page on instream water rights.
How to Comment
Public comment for Mid-Willamette instream water right applications closes Thursday, Oct. 31st, by 5 p.m. We’ve made it easy to comment either on the full slate of 67 applications, or an individual application.
Comment on the entire slate of appications: Create a comment email with our pre-formatted form. Feel free to modify, change, or add your own remarks for a more personal comment, or mention specific rivers of interest to you and your family. Comments written from your own point of view are especially impactful.
PLEASE NOTE — If you chose to comment on the full slate of applications, leave the application numbers we’ve included in the formatted email link. It’s important to have all of them listed. The application numbers are IS-89666 to IS-89732.
Comment on an individual application: Go to this PDF of the instream water right applications. The applications begin on page five.
Once you find the streams you’d like to comment on, click the live application link in this PDF to open a page that has “submit a public comment” on the bottom left — click on the live link to submit your comments.
Suggested talking points for individual comments:
- Please issue the instream water right for [ your specific stream of interest ] in the full amount requested by ODFW. For many of these applications, OWRD is proposing to issue the water rights in amounts lower than what ODFW has requested. The ODFW applications reflect the flows needed for fish and should be protected in full.
- Please also make comments personal to you and your family, like the value of healthy rivers for fishing, boating, hiking, wildlife viewing, cultural values, or other recreational activity or economic vitality.
PLEASE ACT TODAY! Comments are due by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31st.
Thank you for your time and support, and please share this with family, friends, and colleagues.