By Jesse Robbins Last summer, Seattle-based author, angler, musician, and conservationist Steve Duda and I visited bookstores and readers in Beaverton and Bend — and even made an appearance on KOIN-TV’s AM Extra morning program in Portland — to share and help promote Steve’s book River Songs: Moments of Wild Wonder in Fly Fishing and discuss fly […]
Instream: Life Lessons from Author and Angler Steve Duda Read More »
By Morgan Owen | April 9, 2025 | Bend Bulletin In a major win for water rights activists, a Deschutes County judge has dismissed an appeal made by developers of the luxury Thornburgh Resort, upholding an earlier decision denying the resort a permit to draw water from the Deschutes River aquifer. This ruling is the
Judge’s Ruling Creates Another Water Rights Roadblock for Thornburgh Read More »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 7, 2025 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information, please contact:Tommy Hough, WaterWatch of Oregon, tommy@waterwatch.org Thornburgh Resort Defeat Marks Reprieve for Central Oregon Fish, Wildlife, and WaterState agency’s earlier denial of a limited water use license was upheld because the proposed resort would use water far more quickly than it can be
Thornburgh Resort Defeat Marks Reprieve for Central Oregon Fish, Wildlife, and Water Read More »
By Emily Cureton Cook | April 6, 2025 | Oregon Public Broadcasting A Deschutes County Circuit Court judge recently dealt a blow to plans for the much-contested Thornburgh resort in Central Oregon. In a March 31st opinion, Judge Raymond Crutchley shot down a petition brought by the developer against state regulators over access to groundwater
Thornburgh Resort Site in Central Oregon Hits Another Water Rights Roadblock Read More »
By Emily Cureton Cook | Nov. 25, 2024 | Oregon Public Broadcasting A planned destination resort draws on deep pockets to battle state regulators in a high-stakes court case. In the witness box of a Deschutes County Circuit courtroom this month, Kameron DeLashmutt told the story of his connection to nearly 2,000 waterless acres near
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 »
July 3, 2024 By Tommy Hough In the four decades since WaterWatch’s founding in 1985, we’ve developed close relationships with many of our supporters, and WaterWatch has been endlessly fortunate to have forged a lasting relationship with the Bend-based Boyer Family Foundation, helmed by Jeff and Tracy Boyer. After years of consistent, generous giving by
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 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 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 Joe Siess and Tim Trainor | Oct. 16, 2023 | Redmond Spokesman The state, which has proposed new rules to Oregon’s groundwater permitting process, has signaled the city of Redmond’s application for a future groundwater permit would likely be denied. The Oregon Water Resources Department is reviewing the city’s application and taking a second
State Signals It’s Likely to Deny Redmond’s Application for Future Groundwater Read More »
By Emily Cureton Cook | Oct. 2, 2023 | Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon water managers are considering the most consequential water policy changes the state has seen in decades. These changes would crack down on new groundwater rights, making it more difficult for people to drill wells. Advocates say this is critical to protect the
Central Oregon Cities Poke Holes in State Plans to Tighten Groundwater Rules Read More »
By Shaun Hall | Aug. 14, 2023 | Rogue Valley Times A big push is underway in Jackson County and Oregon to replace open-ditch irrigation canals with piping to reduce water loss through seepage and evaporation. The mission by irrigation districts to modernize aging systems comes at a time of increased state and federal funding
By Emily Cureton Cook | July 19, 2022 | Oregon Public Broadcasting In Oregon’s fastest-growing region, more residents are struggling to reach an affordable water supply. A developer’s quest to keep pumping tests what state officials are willing to do about it. Editor’s note: This is the third story in a series about how Oregon
Race to the Bottom: How Central Oregon Groundwater Sells to the Highest Bidders Read More »
