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 Wildlife Official Acknowledges “Hundreds of Thousands” of Fish Deaths in 2023 Winchester Dam DisasterSenate committee probing whether state officials hold dam’s operations and maintenance to appropriate statutory, regulatory standards. Salem, Oregon — This Wednesday, during testimony before state legislators regarding botched
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 »
By Emily Cureton Cook with Rachel Martin | April 4, 2022 | NPR Morning Edition In Oregon’s high desert, a lake more than 10,000 years old is drying up. That doesn’t have to happen. Summer Lake hosts millions of migratory birds annually, but its water is being diverted to farms. RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: In southern
It’s Feared a Vital Lake in Oregon Could Run Dry Within a Generation Read More »
By Emily Cureton Cook | March 16, 2022 | Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) In Malheur County’s Cow Valley, state regulators have ignored known issues with overpumping groundwater, leaving the region at risk of economic and ecological damage that will be difficult to reverse. The warnings were hard to miss on a forsaken stretch of Highway
Race to the Bottom: How Big Business Took Over Oregon’s First Protected Aquifer Read More »
By Rob Davis | Jan. 16, 2022 | The Oregonian When Oregon’s only saltwater lake mysteriously dried up in 2014, turning a vibrant landscape teeming with migratory birds into a desiccated, abandoned salt pan, state environmental regulators mobilized. Lake Abert, a 64-square-mile lake in south central Oregon’s high desert, had gone almost completely dry for
By Andrew Theen | April 19, 2017 | The Oregonian A House committee gave its blessing this week to a bill that would charge an annual fee to tens of thousands of Oregon water rights holders — but not without a last second twist. Rep. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, introduced an amendment to his proposed water user
By Andrew Theen | April 14, 2017 | The Oregonian The House Committee on Energy and the Environment on Wednesday endorsed House Bill 2707, which some lawmakers say would dramatically accelerate the state’s ability to analyze its groundwater supply. That legislation now heads to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, the state’s budget writing
Draining Oregon: Bill to Fund $8.2 Million in Groundwater Studies Passes Key Hurdle Read More »
By Andrew Theen | March 21, 2017 | The Oregonian: Draining Oregon 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 on the heels of a
Draining Oregon: Lawmakers Plan Hearings on Three Water Bills Read More »
By the Oregonian Editorial Board | Sept. 10, 2016 | The Oregonian: Draining Oregon State regulators approve permits for wells in Oregon even as they suspect there isn’t enough water in some areas to keep pace. A permit application might state it “cannot be determined” whether enough ground water existed for the well. Yet time
By Kelly House | Aug. 26, 2016 | The Oregonian: Draining Oregon Government agencies have spent more than $2.8 million in taxpayer money on this tiny Columbia River tributary since 2004. Workers have planted shade willows on the banks, lined its rocky bottom with logpile hiding places, and fenced off cattle from the sensitive habitat.
By Kelly House | Aug. 26, 2016 | The Oregonian: Draining Oregon Rancher Harold Knieriem thought his days of worrying about water would end with retirement. No more angst when the skies dry up or a mild winter dollops too little snow on the mountains, leaving his cattle to dine on withered grass. Then the
