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 »
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 »
“Birds Take Backseat to Fish, Farms in the Klamath Basin,” July 24, 2017
Impact of Management Practices on the Klamath Wildlife Refuge Read More »
Draining Oregon: Bill to fund $8.2 million in groundwater studies passes key hurdle by Andrew Theen The Oregonian/OregonLive April 14, 2017 A proposal to fund $8.2 million in new groundwater studies for as many as five drainage basins across Oregon passed a key legislative hurdle this week.
Draining Oregon: Bill to fund $8.2 million in groundwater studies passes key hurdle 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)
Proposed Oregon mega-dairy wins key permit Read More »
Draining Oregon: Lawmakers plan hearings on 3 water bills by Andrew Theen The Oregonian/OregonLive March 21, 2017 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
Draining Oregon: Lawmakers plan hearings on 3 water bills 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 »
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
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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
EDITORIAL: Water, water everywhere Read More »
Special Report: Draining Oregon, Oregonian, August 26, 2016 In-depth analysis of state water management found farmers in a quarter of eastern Oregon, the driest part of the state, are allowed to pump more underground water each year than rains deposit. The water giveaway threatens economic chaos and hurts fish and wildlife.
Special Report: Draining Oregon Read More »
Senators put pork before Klamath Basin water By Jim McCarthy For The Register-Guard February 27, 2016 Parched Lower Klamath NWR, Sept. 20, 2013 Most Oregonians expect our elected leaders to support more water conservation efforts in the drought-prone Klamath River Basin. They don’t expect them to prop up excessive water use at the expense of
Senators put pork before Klamath Basin water Read More »
In My View: Restore the Deschutes River to its natural flow By Gail Snyder Bend Bulletin September 17, 2015 2013 Upper Deschutes River fish kill. Photo by Doug La Placa. A recent Bulletin article referenced “natural low flows” in the Deschutes River. That description might be misleading. Under natural conditions, flows in the Deschutes River
In My View: Restore the Deschutes River to its natural flow Read More »
Feds release extra water to save Klamath salmon from disease By JEFF BARNARD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS August 21, 2015 This Oct. 1, 2002 file photo shows dead salmon along the Klamath River near Klamath, Calif., after a disease outbreak that killed an estimated 60,000 salmon. With water scarce in Northern California’s Klamath Basin, a federal
Feds release extra water to save Klamath salmon from disease Read More »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 13, 2015 CONTACT: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, 541-708-0731 60-Day Notice is available here. WaterWatch of Oregon Issues Warning to Protect Deschutes River Irregular streamflows are harming fish, wildlife and local livelihoods Bend – Today, WaterWatch of Oregon announced its intention to challenge the Central Oregon Irrigation District, North Unit Irrigation District,
WaterWatch of Oregon Issues Warning to Protect Deschutes River Read More »
Statement by Kimberley Priestley, WaterWatch of Oregon’s Senior Policy Analyst, on the February 15, 2013 Columbia River-Umatilla Solutions Taskforce (CRUST) announcement: “Today’s agreement offers a menu of balanced potential solutions that will provide additional water to Umatilla farmers without harming flows needed for struggling salmon and steelhead runs or – importantly – without undermining river
Columbia River-Umatilla Solutions Taskforce announcement Read More »
For Immediate Release Oregon Wild * WaterWatch of Oregon November 10, 2011 CONTACT: Steve Pedery, Oregon Wild – 503.283.6343 ext. 212 Lisa Brown, WaterWatch of Oregon – 503.295.4039 ext. 4 Merkley Legislation on Klamath Falls Short Oregon conservationists frustrated by anti-wildlife provisions, lack of water for salmon Portland — Oregon conservation groups today expressed disappointment
Merkley Legislation on Klamath Falls Short Read More »
Riffles: Saving the Klamath Basin Ecosystem By John Randolph Fly Fisherman Magazine July 01, 2009 Riffles-Fly-Fisherman-Mag-July-09
Riffles: Saving the Klamath Basin Ecosystem Read More »
State Needs Innovative, Aggressive Water Solutions By Peter Gleick Pacific Institute June 01, 2008 A version of this essay was originally printed in the Sacramento Bee on June 1, 2008. For more than a decade, California has had relatively adequate winter rains and mostly full reservoirs. No longer. We had the opportunity to fix many of
State Needs Innovative, Aggressive Water Solutions Read More »
Governor Stresses need to store more water Article on Gov. Kulongoski exploring water storage options in the Umatilla Basin. By Harry Esteve Oregonian November 09, 2007 WARM SPRINGS — At a meeting with Oregon tribal leaders Thursday, Gov. Ted Kulongoski said he wants to look at building massive water storage areas in eastern Oregon
Governor Stresses need to store more water Read More »
Troubled Waters, Part II: Klamath farmers see themselves in the crosshairs By H. Bruce Miller Source Weekly October 03, 2007 KLAMATH FALLS – A strange-looking monument stands in front of City Hall on the main street of this Southern Oregon farming center. It’s a giant silver-painted bucket, standing at least 10 feet high. The
Troubled Waters, Part II: Klamath farmers see themselves in the crosshairs Read More »
Triple threat to ag: Development, restoration, climate issues mount Capital Press article discussing a recent Family Farm Alliance report titled “Water Supply in a Changing Climate.” By Mateusz Perkowski Capital Press September 14, 2007 According to a recent report by the Family Farm Alliance, more storage facilities and canals like this one are needed
Triple threat to ag: Development, restoration, climate issues mount Read More »
Water Crisis Squeezes California’s Economy By Daniel B. Wood Christian Science Monitor September 12, 2007 California farmers, who produce half the nation’s fruits and vegetables, say they will idle fields and cut back on planting lettuce, cotton, rice, and more. Silicon Valley computer-chip makers and other industrial/commercial users say they will rethink manufacturing processes
Water Crisis Squeezes California’s Economy Read More »
Water Wars Street Roots article about Klamath Basin water issues. By Matthew Deschaine Street Roots, Street News Servic August 20, 2007 WaterWatch’s John DeVoe works to keep the public interest in conserving Oregon’s public water (Photograph by Street Roots) For more than a decade, the Klamath River Basin has been the central front in
Water war pits urban vs. rural By John Burt Capital Press August 03, 2007 Water. It always has come down to water for agriculture. Farmers and ranchers have the scars from the wars that have raged over who has it, who wants it and who needs it. When it comes to water I’ve seen
Water war pits urban vs. rural Read More »
The Fight for Water Oregon Business Magazine looks at current water issues and water politics in the Oregon Legislature By Robin Doussard Oregon Business Magazine August 01, 2007 AUGUST 2007: COVER STORY Can Oregon meet the demands of its farms, fish and people? The battle lines over a controversial effort during this year’s Legislature to
The Fight for Water Read More »
Irrigation Empire: Water could someday be treated like a commodity By David Hendee Omaha World-Herald July 22, 2007 Access to water is shrinking across Nebraska. As accessibility tightens, the growing value of the state’s greatest natural resource will trigger economic changes that stretch from Alliance to Omaha. Farmers pump more underground water for crops
Irrigation Empire: Water could someday be treated like a commodity Read More »
Fields of conflict in the Klamath Activists say farmers are poised to solidify their presence in the basin’s federal wildlife refuges. By Eric Bailey Los Angeles Times May 07, 2007 TULE LAKE, CALIF. — Under the rolling cloud-scape of the Klamath Basin, a curious rite of spring is underway. Migratory birds are flocking to
Fields of conflict in the Klamath Read More »
Bipartisan Support for Renewing Irrigation Act By Terry Gildea Oregon Public Broadcasting November 11, 2006 Northwest farmers and conservationists are asking Congress to reauthorize a program that irrigates crops while protecting fish. Oregon Senators Democrat Ron Wyden and Republican Gordon Smith are leading a bipartisan effort to pass a bill that sustains the program
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Wineries go dry, but not how you think By Stiv J. Wilson, LocalNewsDaily.com Portland Tribune October 07, 2006 For thousands of years, vintners have sought out the perfect region, the perfect soil and the perfect climate for growing grapes. Quantity rarely trumped quality, and a given vintage’s worth and character was directly related to
Wineries go dry, but not how you think Read More »
Salmon, ranchers win in deal By Joe Rojas-Burke Oregonian October 23, 2005 LOSTINE — Zigzagging between jagged Wallowa Mountain peaks, the Lostine River beckons salmon with some of the finest habitat in Oregon. But in dry summers, ranch irrigators reduce miles of the river to a trickle. Threatened chinook that fight 600 miles from
Salmon, ranchers win in deal Read More »
Court tosses Bush plan for Klamath water By Michael Milstein Oregonian October 19, 2005 A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out the Bush administration plan to deliver irrigation water to Klamath Basin farmers, saying it does not do enough for threatened coho salmon in the Klamath River. The ruling probably will mean more
Court tosses Bush plan for Klamath water Read More »
‘Water bank’ drags river basin deeper into debt By Rebecca Clarren High Country News October 17, 2005 ‘Win-win’ water solution only worsens tension over scarce resource From her house near Klamath Falls, Ore., Kelly Holcomb loves to look out her kitchen window at the juniper-dotted mountains nearby and the vast green fields of the
‘Water bank’ drags river basin deeper into debt Read More »
Profile: One of the West’s most dramatic water battles is heating up By Jeff Brady Weekend Edition Sunday, National Public Radio May 08, 2005 LIANE HANSEN, host: As summer nears, one of the West’s most dramatic water battles is heating up again. Four years ago, in the Klamath Basin region, along the Oregon-California border,
Profile: One of the West’s most dramatic water battles is heating up Read More »
A utility’s plan to end a longtime power subsidy could mean less water going to agriculture U.S. Water News Online March 01, 2005 Through sickness and health, drought and abundance, Klamath basin farmers have been wedded to dirt-cheap power for nearly nine decades. Electric pumps lift water from an aquifer, help pull it from
