As we’ve mentioned in Currents and here on the WaterWatch website, the final package of 98 Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) instream water right applications to legally protect natural flows for streams and tributaries in the South Willamette River basin are being considered now, including segments of the McKenzie River, Middle Fork and Coast Fork Willamette, Mohawk River, South Fork McKenzie, Blue River, Salt Creek, Row River, North Fork Middle Fork Willamette River, and others.
You came through with support for instream water right applications in the North and Middle Willamette basins last fall, and we need your help again with comments to drive support for ODFW’s slate of South Willamette basin applications. The public comment deadline is next Thursday, Jan. 16th, by 5 p.m.
Approval of these instream applications falls to the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD), so please weigh in with your support NOW. 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 South Willamette instream water right applications closes next Thursday, Jan. 16th, by 5 p.m., so we’ve made it easy to comment either on the full slate of 98 applications, or an individual application.
How to comment on the entire slate: To express your support for ODFW’s full slate of South Willamette instream applications, create a comment email with our pre-formatted form linked here, or below at the orange button. Modify, change, or add remarks as you see fit for a more personal comment, or mention specific rivers or streams of interest to you and your family.
PLEASE NOTE: If you choose to comment on the full slate of applications, leave the application numbers as is. The application numbers are IS-89737 through IS-89835.
How to comment on an individual application: To express your support for individual applications, go to this PDF listing all the instream water right applications. The list of instream applications begins on page four.
Once you find the streams you want to comment on, click the hyperlink at that particular entry to open a page that has a “submit a public comment” option at the bottom left. Click on that live link to submit your comments.
Suggested Talking Points
- 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.
Act now! Comments are due next Thursday, Jan. 16th by 5 p.m.
Establishing protection for instream flows for fish is critical to maintaining healthy rivers in the face of climate change, so thank you for your time and support. Please share this message with family, friends, and fellow supporters of Oregon’s rivers and streams.
Staff photo of the Middle Fork Willamette River by Jesse Robbins.
