Oct. 9, 2024 By WaterWatch of Oregon Staff In a monumental step forward for Oregon’s water future, the Oregon Water Resources Commission unanimously voted on Sept. 12th to adopt rigorous new groundwater allocation rules for the state. As an organization that has long highlighted the ongoing over-allocation of groundwater in Oregon, WaterWatch is thrilled to […]
Instream: Groundwater Success and a Victory Worth Savoring Read More »
By KTVZ Staff | Sept. 12, 2024 | KTVZ News The Oregon Water Resources Commission voted unanimously Thursday to adopt updates to Oregon’s groundwater allocation rules, “marking a historic step in how the state manages and allocates groundwater,” according to the agency and its supporters while critics of the new rules said they will press
Water Resources Commission Adopts Update to Groundwater Allocation Rules Read More »
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 »
Sept. 12, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, please contact: Tommy Hough, WaterWatch of Oregon, tommy@waterwatch.org Zach Freed, The Nature Conservancy, zach.freed@tnc.org Oregon Water Partnership Applauds Adoption of New Groundwater Rules Coalition of conservation nonprofits commends state water commission for finalizing long-needed groundwater rules that will better protect drinking water, support farming, safeguard fish
Oregon Water Partnership Applauds Adoption of New Groundwater Rules Read More »
Sept. 12, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, please contact:Tommy Hough, tommy@waterwatch.org WaterWatch of Oregon Commends State on Finalization of Long-Needed Groundwater Allocation Rule UpdatesRevised rules herald new era of water sustainability, marks conclusion of lengthy process to put state into alignment with mandates set out in Oregon’s landmark 1955 Groundwater Act. Central Point,
Water Resources Commission Adopts Amended Groundwater Rules in Unanimous Vote 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 »
By the Source Editorial Board | June 5, 2024 | The Source Weekly This year has been better than many, but the effects of years of drought are still among us. You’ve likely heard the doom-tales: aquifers depleted, rivers low, wells going dry. Over the past 20 years or so, the West has experienced a
A Change In Groundwater Allocation Rules Is Long Overdue Read More »
By Emily Cureton Cook and Alejandro Figueroa | May 30, 2024 | Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) Oregon lawmakers and water users will be keeping a close eye on the man who could soon lead the agency in charge of water rights, farm irrigation rules and oversight of drinking water wells. Oregon senators are expected to
Oregon Senate Expected to Vote on State Water Director Pick by End of the Week Read More »
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 »
May 21, 2024 The public comment period has now closed on this initiative. If enacted, long-overdue updates to the state’s groundwater allocation rules will begin to rein in Oregon’s decades-long pattern of over-issuing pumping rights, and implement the guidelines of Oregon’s forward-looking, landmark 1955 Ground Water Act, including proposed changes to better account for impacts
Written Remarks in Support of Revised Groundwater Allocation Rules Read More »
May 20, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information please contact: Tommy Hough (pr: “how”), WaterWatch of Oregon, tommy@waterwatch.org WHEN: Tuesday, May 21st – 5:30 to 9 p.m. (information session to begin at 5:30 p.m., public meeting to begin at 7 p.m.) WHERE: North Mall Office Building 725 Summer St. NE Room 124 Salem, OR 97301 WHAT:
By Mateusz Perkowski | May 10, 2024 | Capital Press Water advocates of all stripes agree Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has nominated someone who knows the ropes to be the state’s top water official. Those hoping for fresh blood at the Oregon Water Resources Department, however, see her choice of a long-time employee, Ivan Gall,
Experienced Regulator Nominated as Oregon’s Top Water Official Read More »
May 10, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information please contact: Tommy Hough, WaterWatch of Oregon, tommy@waterwatch.org Oregon Water Partnership Supports Appointment of Ivan Gall as Director of Oregon Water Resources Department Oregon Senate to begin confirmation process of 26-year agency veteran at the end of May. Salem, Oregon — The Oregon Water Partnership (OWP) supports
April 18, 2024 By Lisa Brown After an exhaustive and scientifically rigorous process, the Oregon Water Resources Department published proposed groundwater allocation rules reliant upon science and data to implement Oregon’s forward-looking 1955 Ground Water Act — and put Oregon on a more sustainable path to smart, sensible, environmentally-sound groundwater allocation. On March 1st, the
Instream: At Long Last, Revised Groundwater Rules for Oregon 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 Zach Freed | April 10, 2024 | Bend Bulletin Groundwater levels are falling around Oregon, drying up wells and streams as drought becomes more frequent and severe. Oregonians must make smart water choices to protect our rivers and drinking water for the long term. Durable water solutions in Oregon require a science-informed approach. Pumping
Securing a Strong Water Future for Oregon Read More »
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 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 »
March 20, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ahead of World Water Day, Oregon Water Partnership Recognizes Progress in 2024 Legislative Session Coalition applauds Legislature’s attention to important water issues during 32-day “short session.” Salem, Oregon — The Oregon Water Partnership (OWP) applauds the Oregon Legislature’s attention to important water issues during the 32-day “short session,” including
Oregon Water Partnership Recognizes Progress in 2024 Legislative Session Read More »
Feb. 16, 2024 The outcome of a hearing in Marion County Circuit Court in Salem could have a big impact on the fate of Winchester Dam, and by extension the North Umpqua River’s struggling salmon and steelhead populations, as a motion filed by the Oregon Water Resources Department (WRD) to dismiss an earlier water storage
Court Hearing in Winchester Dam Water Storage Case Read More »
Feb. 16, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information, please contact: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, jim@waterwatch.orgWHO: Winchester Water Control District v. Oregon Water Resources Department, Dwight French (Case No. 23CV33445) WHAT: Hearing on Oregon Water Resources Department Motion to Dismiss WHEN: Friday, February 16, 2024 WHERE: Marion County Circuit Court, Salem, Oregon Documents relevant to
Court Hearing in Winchester Dam Water Storage Case Read More »
By Mateusz Perkowski | Dec. 14, 2023 | Capital Press The irony of the legal dispute over upgrades to the Painted Hills Reservoir in Central Oregon is that everyone agrees the project helps the environment. Oregon’s water regulators have contributed money toward raising the dam and storing more water for fish, even though they’re now
Transfer Battle Has Far-Reaching Implications for Oregon Water Law Read More »
By Bill Poehler | Nov. 17, 2023 | Salem Statesman Journal The Oregon Water Resources Commission and the Court of Appeals have prohibited the dam, saying it might harm cutthroat trout that spawn in the creek. Oregon’s Court of Appeals this month upheld a previous ruling prohibiting construction of a new dam south of Silverton
Court of Appeals Denies Proposed Drift Creek Dam But Water District Intends to Appeal Read More »
By Alex Baumhardt | Nov. 13, 2023 | Oregon Capital Chronicle The cost of digging deeper wells could climb into the hundreds of millions if the state does not revamp groundwater permitting, officials told lawmakers. The Oregon Water Resources Department must update its 68-year-old rules for permitting new wells or double down on regulating existing
Nov. 6, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information please contact: Tommy Hough, WaterWatch of Oregon, tommy@waterwatch.org Oregon Water Partnership Praises Science-Based Proposal to Modernize State’s Groundwater Allocation Rules As groundwater depletion becomes an even greater crisis throughout Oregon and the U.S., the Oregon Water Resources Department has developed science-based rules to put Oregon on a
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 »
Oct. 2, 2023 By Kimberley Priestley and WaterWatch of Oregon Staff After a decade of advocacy to restore and protect the flows of the Crooked River in Central Oregon, long-awaited legal protection for flows released from Prineville Reservoir for downstream fish and wildlife has at last been approved. The Crooked River in Central Oregon is
Instream: Protections for Flows and Fish Secured on the Crooked River Read More »
Sept. 29, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information please contact: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, jim@waterwatch.org Tommy Hough, WaterWatch of Oregon, tommy@waterwatch.org Wildlife Official Acknowledges “Hundreds of Thousands” of Fish Deaths in 2023 Winchester Dam Disaster Senate committee probing whether state officials hold dam’s operations and maintenance to appropriate statutory, regulatory standards. Salem, Oregon — This Wednesday,
By Jane Vaughan | Sept. 27, 2023 | Jefferson Public Radio Dam repair work on the North Umpqua River in August and early September led to hundreds of thousands of lamprey dying. There are now questions about accountability for the repair work that was done at the Winchester Dam near Roseburg. Representatives from the Oregon
After Fish Kill, a Search for Accountability at Winchester Dam Read More »
By Alex Baumhardt | Sept. 18, 2023 | Oregon Capital Chronicle The 133-year-old Winchester Dam, which essentially provides a private lake for 100 “influential” people near Roseburg, has a history of environmental violations. For two days in early August, a dozen staff from the natural resources department of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe
Conservation Groups Call for End to Aging Umpqua River Dam After Emergency Fish Salvage Read More »
By Alanna Mayham | Aug. 8, 2023 | Courthouse News Service A nonprofit says fish won’t be able to access their preferred habitats because of the repairs. Some claim the dam needs to go. The Winchester Dam on Oregon’s North Umpqua River closed for three weeks on Monday for repairs and reservoir drawdown in an
Critics Argue Repairs on Oregon Dam Don’t Go Far Enough to Protect Salmon Read More »
By Emily Cureton Cook | July 25, 2023 | Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) State regulators have rejected creating new groundwater rights for a controversial destination resort under construction in Central Oregon. The proposed Thornburgh resort is seeking wells for a development near Redmond, in an area where declining groundwater levels have long raised ecological concerns and
Oregon Regulators Deny Another Bid for Water at Thornburgh Resort Read More »
May 22, 2023 Oregon’s Kitchen Table recently posted a survey to help state officials better understand what water issues are important to you. The information and data collected will ultimately help shape the next iteration of the state’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS). Background: The IWRS is Oregon’s blueprint for meeting both instream and out-of-stream
May 9, 2023 We need your help in lending your voice to the water needs of rivers and fish as part of Oregon’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) update. Oregon’s blueprint for meeting both instream and out-of-stream needs, the IWRS is critically important in shaping policies, programs, and budgets for multiple state agencies. First published
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 »
Mateusz Perkowski | June 17, 2022 | Capital Press Oregon water regulators want to impose stricter rules for drilling new irrigation wells next year to preserve groundwater levels and prevent over-pumping. A preliminary analysis of available data suggests that little groundwater across the state is available for new allocations, said Ivan Gall, field services division
Stricter Groundwater Regulations Contemplated for Oregon Read More »
Mateusz Perkowski | June 17, 2022 | Capital Press Oregon water regulators want to impose stricter rules for drilling new irrigation wells next year to preserve groundwater levels and prevent over-pumping. A preliminary analysis of available data suggests that little groundwater across the state is available for new allocations, said Ivan Gall, field services division
Stricter Groundwater Regulations Contemplated for Oregon Read More »
By WaterWatch Staff | April 6, 2022 | Instream While groundwater permitting standards require Oregon to determine whether water is available before issuing a new groundwater permit, in practice, the state all too often lacks enough data to make that determination. As a result, and a habit, the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) often operates
By WaterWatch Staff | April 5, 2022 | Instream WaterWatch works across Oregon in administrative, collaborative, legislative and legal forums to advocate for reforms needed to secure sustainable groundwater management. WaterWatch has identified five critical and urgent reforms needed to put Oregon on a course to manage groundwater sustainably: 1 — Stop issuing permits without
Urgent Groundwater Reforms Needed for a Sustainable Water Future Read More »
