By Neil Brandt Despite the threats of federal rollbacks to bedrock environmental statutes, slashing of key federal agency personnel, and wholly unprecedented attacks on our nation’s conservation legacy, we at WaterWatch are nevertheless celebrating our four decades of work and success in 2025. Despite the chaos coming out of Washington, D.C., we continue to see […]
Last spring the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced it had applied for over 260 new instream water rights in the Willamette River system to protect instream flows for native fish and wildlife, including applications in the North Willamette, Mid-Willamette, and South Willamette basins. Public comment for streams and tributaries in the North
Your Support for New Willamette Instream Water Right Applications is Invaluable Read More »
Oct. 31, 2024 A year has passed since WaterWatch completed a priority fish barrier removal project on Takelma Creek in the Illinois River subbasin of the Rogue, and positive responses continue to pour in from both the local salmon population and the region’s scientific community. The multi-faceted Takelma project opened access to 3.5 miles of
Accolades and Salmon Follow Another Rogue Basin Dam Removal Read More »
Aug. 18, 2024 By Neil Brandt with WaterWatch Staff Oregon recently welcomed new directors at three of the state’s natural resource agencies with missions related to water, including Ivan Gall at the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD), Debbie Colbert at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and Sara O’Brien at the Oregon Watershed
Opportunities to Secure Oregon’s Sustainable Water Future Read More »
April 22, 2024 Dear Friends, From all of us WaterWatch of Oregon, I’d like to wish you a Happy Earth Day! On this Earth Day, I would like to extend our gratitude to the Earth and all the ways it supports and sustains life. Here in Oregon, we are so fortunate to have a plethora
March 27, 2024 Note: We’re currently between Oregon Water Resources Department comment periods for the IWRS update. When the state resumes taking comments we’ll let you know — thanks! The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) will soon resume collecting public comments on its ongoing update of the state’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS). Originally adopted
Comment on the State’s Integrated Water Resource Strategy (IWRS) Update 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 WaterWatch Staff | April 5, 2022 | Instream Groundwater provides a myriad of irreplaceable ecological benefits and is the sole source of drinking water for nearly one in four Oregonians. WaterWatch has a long history of working to ensure that Oregon’s management of groundwater preserves the vital role of this resource in maintaining streamflows,
Protecting Groundwater Resources is Critical for Oregon’s Environment and People Read More »
