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- Oregon Universities Water News
- Year of Water News
- Oregon Water Events
- Oregon Water News
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Inst. for Water & Watersheds
Oregon State University
234 Strand Ag Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331-2208
Phone: 541-737-9918
iww@oregonstate.edu
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Oregon Universities Water News
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Bob Lackey of OSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, presentation at the American Fisheries Society, Oregon Chapter, 56th Annual Meeting, March 6, 2020, Bend, Oregon.
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The UPP Newsletter
A bi-monthly newsletter about the people and activities of the USGS-PSU Partnership, water science in Oregon, and related topics.
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UPP 2019 RFP Awardees announced. Congratulations to all - we look forward to learning more about the outcomes of your research.
Adam Booth, Hank Johnson and Steve Gingerich, for their project “Deciphering the influence of surface-water and groundwater exchange on active slow-moving landslide velocity.” The team will be studying the interactions among surface water, groundwater and ground deformation of slow-moving landslides.
Kelly Gleason and Sylas Daughtrey, for their project “Eagle Creek Fire Impacts to Cold Water Refuges in the Columbia River Gorge, an Opportunity for Student Training, Public Service, and Research Collaboration.” The team will be documenting fire effects in the Tanner, Herman and Eagle Creek watersheds impacted by the Eagle Creek Fire.
Elise Granek and Elena Nilsen, for their project “Examining pharmaceutical and microplastic pollution co-occurrence: a tool for pinpointing microplastic sources in Oregon waters.” The team will examine the extent to which pharmaceutical and microplastic concentrations co-occur in wastewater effluent and tissue samples of coastal oysters and clams.
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Summer streamflow in industrial tree plantations harvested on 40- to 50-year rotations was 50% lower than in century-old forests, data from the long-term Alsea Watershed Study in the Oregon Coast Range showed.
The research, led by Oregon State University’s Catalina Segura, is an important step toward understanding how intensively managed plantations might influence water supplies originating in forests and downstream aquatic ecosystems, especially as the planet becomes warmer and drier.
“Industrial plantation forestry is expanding around the globe, and that’s raising concerns about the long-term effects the plantations might be having on water, especially in dry years,” Segura said.
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The hydrogel beads, which have the consistency of gummy candy and are made with an ingredient used in processed foods, hold the promise for sustained cleanup of groundwater contaminated with dangerous and widely used volatile organic compounds; many of the compounds are listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as likely human carcinogens.
At multiple locations around the country, the chemicals are present at concentrations that far exceed state and federal standards for safe drinking water.
Among the contaminants addressed in the study are 1,1,1-trichloroethane, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, and 1,4-dioxane -- degreasers commonly used by industry and the military. The chemicals can infiltrate groundwater through leaky underground storage tanks or runoff, or by simply being dumped on the ground as they were in past.
The new decontamination method, developed through a collaboration between the OSU College of Engineering and North Carolina State University, works because the microbes produce an enzyme that oxidizes the toxins when groundwater contaminants diffuse into the beads.
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The annual national ranking of law schools was just released by U.S. News and World Report. Three University of Oregon Law programs are ranked in the nation’s top 10: Legal Writing (#2), Environmental Law (#6), and Dispute Resolution (#10). Legal Writing moved up three spots from last year’s #5 slot. Environmental Law moved up two spots from #8. Only two public law schools in the West and six nationwide achieved the distinction of having three or more specialty programs ranked in the top ten. The Dispute Resolution program is the only top-ten program of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.
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“So many of us are doing important work around water without being fully aware of what our colleagues in other departments and at other Oregon universities are up to,” said Alaí Reyes-Santos, a professor in the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies and an organizer of the event. “The Year of Water opens the door for all Oregonians to see the critical research and scholarship that goes on throughout the state in labs, libraries and in the field.”
While some UO faculty members have clear ties to water — earth scientists who study glaciers, for example or biologists who study fish — other connections are less obvious. In Reyes-Santos’ case, the study of water is more cultural than literal. Her manuscript-in-progress, “Oceanic Whispers, Secrets She Never Told,” examines restorative justice and community healing through a black Caribbean lens.
Listen to interview here.
Read an Op-Ed piece in the Register-Guard here.
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Early Registration Deadline: June 1, 2020
Late Registration Deadline: June 10, 2020
Abstract Deadline: May 1, 2020
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April 22 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. To celebrate, thousands of Oregonians across the state were planning to attend volunteer events with SOLVE during SOLVE IT for Earth Day, presented by Portland General Electric. Plans changed when the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak grew and social distancing measures ensued.
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Kelly House, whose investigations into groundwater mining and other environmental challenges in Oregon won national honors, has joined Bridge Magazine to cover the environment, natural resources and conservation issues.
Her work at The Oregonian was highlighted by a series that showed how government mismanagement allowed irrigators to mine Oregon’s aquifers dry, prompting a review of state groundwater policy. Draining Oregon won the national Headliner Award for Environmental Reporting, among other honors.
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Oregon lawmakers have written a letter to President Trump urging for an expedited review of the Eastern Oregon flooding aid money.
Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency for the affected counties on February 7 and later proposed more than $11 million in aid to help the affected area.
Read the full statement here.
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Ranchers and ag producers packed the Grant County Airport conference room Thursday at the Grant Soil and Water District’s annual meeting to voice their opposition to the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s continued expansion of its water quality monitoring program.
Since 2003, the strategy to ensure compliance of water quality on farmlands was complaint driven. In 2014, the ODA moved to a more compliance-driven approach, using topographical maps and other publicly available information such as satellite and areal imagery to identify water quality concerns and violations.
The scope of the ranchers’ concerns included everything from legacy issues, such as land identified by the agency as noncompliant when it changes hands, to financial constraints, to an invasion of privacy, to overall frustration with the ever-changing goal posts of water regulations.
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Scott Prose was hired Feb. 1 as the new assistant watermaster for the Oregon Water Resources Department's Southwest Region, focused specifically on hemp.
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Two Oregon landowners have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Tumalo Irrigation District from replacing open canals with underground pipes to conserve water.
The plaintiffs, Matthew James Smith and Paul Callen, have asked a federal judge to enjoin the piping project and overturn the USDA’s approval of it.
Smith and Callen claim the piping project will cause them to “suffer significant economic devaluation” because the open canal supports century-old ponderosa pine trees, riparian vegetation and wildlife that would be harmed by its removal.
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Agricultural producers in the Klamath Project have taken the water “takings” case to the highest court in the land.
In essence, producers asked the United States Supreme Court to review decisions denying their claims that their water rights were illegally taken in 2001 under the ESA, according to a news release from Klamath Water Users Association on Friday afternoon.
"The Baley lawsuit relies on the fact that rights to use water are property rights owned by landowners," said Klamath Falls attorney Nathan Ratliff, who has coordinated efforts for the plaintiffs in the case. "The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires that the government provide just compensation for any taking of private property."
The petition to the Supreme Court argues that the lower federal courts have misunderstood and misapplied the basic principles of western water law, according to the news release.
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The City of Tillamook Water Treatment Plant uses chlorine as a disinfectant to treat drinking water. City officials said this is a common practice used by water operators around the globe. The City of Tillamook generally manages the chlorine concentrations at six parts per million (ppm). A statement from city officials said they are increasing the chlorine content to eight ppm to assist with cleaning.
The City of Tillamook has the ability to make chlorine for its drinking water. If sanitizing and disinfectant supplies become short in supply, city officials said there is enough chlorine for the drinking water to weather any shortage.
Read more myths about Oregon drinking water and the Coronavirus here.
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As the coronavirus pandemic bleeds from a public health crisis into an economic one, Eastern Oregon cities and utility providers are grappling with how to relieve the financial burden falling on the region’s residents.
Some Umatilla County cities, such as Hermiston and Weston, have announced a discontinuation of service shutoffs and late fees for their municipal water customers. Others, like Pendleton and Milton-Freewater, are exploring similar measures but aren’t currently offering any additional assistance in response to the outbreak.
“We do have a financial assistance program already in place for those who need it,” said Pendleton Public Works Director Bob Patterson. “And we’re exploring if we can offer any additional assistance moving forward.”
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Oregon’s water regulators exceeded their authority when they shut off wells within 500 feet of waterways in the Upper Klamath Basin last year, a judge has ruled.
Marion County Circuit Judge Claudia Burton also ruled the Oregon Water Resources Department violated the due process rights of irrigators Troy and Tracy Brooks, who filed a lawsuit opposing the agency’s enforcement action.
“They basically came up with these rules and gave nobody due process,” Dominic Carollo, lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the Capital Press.
It’s likely the ruling will set a precedent preventing the agency from taking the same approach to stop groundwater pumping — not only in the Upper Klamath Basin, but elsewhere in Oregon where the agency says wells are interfering with surface waters, he said.
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Klamath Irrigation District, C-4-a Canal Lining/Piping Project
Reclamation Funding: $210,650 Total Project Cost: $421,301
The Klamath Irrigation District, located in Klamath County, Oregon, will convert 1.5 miles of the currently open C-4-a Canal to 3,000 feet of Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer lining and 5,000 feet of high-density polyethylene pipe.
Klamath Irrigation District, F-4 Canal Lining/Piping Project
Reclamation Funding: $219,704 Total Project Cost: $439,409
The Klamath Irrigation District will also convert 1.4 miles of the currently open F-4 Canal to 300 feet of Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer lining and 7,392 feet of high-density polyethylene pipe.
Middle Fork Irrigation District, Coe Branch Pipeline and Irrigation Efficiency Project
Reclamation Funding: $266,600 Total Project Cost: $1,460,400
The Middle Fork Irrigation District, located in northwest Oregon, will install a high-density polyethylene pipe from its existing diversion on Coe Creek to an existing settling pond to provide clean irrigation water to its users.
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The Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a drastic cut to the volume of water stored among its 13 dams and reservoirs in the Willamette River Basin that goes to supporting fish flows. Environmentalists are suing, saying the move violates the Endangered Species Act.
The water reallocation, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court March 12, would further harm the already sparse numbers of spring Chinook and winter steelhead salmon. Both are listed as threatened species under the act.
Attorneys with Advocates for the West filed the lawsuit on behalf of WaterWatch of Oregon, Northwest Environmental Defense Center and WildEarth Guardians. It asks the U.S. District Court for Oregon to halt the Corps’ process of reallocating its water stores until the National Marine Fisheries Service determines how much water the threatened fish species in question need to thrive. Once finalized, the water allocation would stand for 50 years, as it also requires approval from Congress.
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The Clackamas River Basin Council is nearing the finish line of its initial goal for the Shade Our Streams program, but those involved with the native planting project plan to keep it up and running.
The council will complete maintenance on the final five miles of its original goal this fall. This will bring the project's total amount of land to 30 miles, fulfilling the initial target for Shade Our Streams. The project will continue for the next three years as an additional 2.5 miles of land are added.
Shade Our Streams started in 2013 with the goal of bringing more native plants to the area to improve water quality and create improved habitats for plants and animals. Through the program, Clackamas River Basin Council partners with area landowners to replace invasive species with native plants.
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Without more rain, it could be a difficult summer for recreation at Detroit Lake.
The popular reservoir’s water level is about 35 feet below normal, raising concerns it won’t reach its “full pool” this summer or even come close.
“There’s still a chance, but we’re in desperate need of precipitation,” U.S Army Corps of Engineers spokeswoman Lauren Bennett said. “At this point, unless we receive pretty consistent rain through the rest of spring, I think it’s a fair assumption (that the water level won't reach full pool).”
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Some environmental groups are complaining about the teleconference format for gathering public comments on a federal government proposal to save salmon runs on the Columbia River system.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the government decided to hold teleconferences, rather than in-person public hearings, on its new proposal that downplays removing four dams on the Snake River to save the fish.
The teleconferences are cumbersome and allow for far fewer comments than the traditional public hearings, environmental groups contend.
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California's second-largest river has sustained Native American tribes with plentiful salmon for millennia, provided upstream farmers with irrigation water for generations and served as a haven for retirees who built dream homes along its banks.
With so many demands, the Klamath River has come to symbolize a larger struggle over the American West's increasingly precious water resources, and who has claim to them.
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Standing on a concrete bridge in this wooded protected area, a pair of Oregon fish biologists peered down at a stretch of the Upper Deschutes and lamented the condition of the river.
Below the bridge, the banks of the Deschutes River were visibly shorn off from summertime high water flows. The channel was wider than its historic width, they said. And unnatural, isolated winter ponds caused by seasonal low flows did not appear to provide suitable habitat for fish and other wildlife.
The picture of the river presented by the biologists — Amy Stuart and Brett Hodgson — was bleak. Both spoke of Oregon spotted frog populations “winking out” across the river ecosystem, and fish populations in an equal state of collapse. They say there is precious little time to reverse course and save fish and frog populations, but better management of the river could help the river heal.
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The February floods were the biggest disaster of 2020 before a worldwide pandemic arrived the following month and usurped it.
Despite the recent focus on preventing the spread of COVID-19, local officials are still working on repairing the damage from the widespread flooding across Umatilla County.
The Pendleton area was hit particularly hard by the floods, and the city government is set to join an intergovernmental agreement with the county and the Umatilla River Control District to secure funding for a critical levee repair.
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Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) has calculated the irrigation water supply available from Upper Klamath Lake — known as the “Project Supply” — likely to be available to the Klamath Project this year. This year’s Project Supply — estimated to be approximately 140,000 acre-feet – was calculated after receipt of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) April 1 assessment of Upper Klamath Basin run-off for the irrigation season.
The Project Supply is the water available to serve approximately 170,000 acres served primarily through the Klamath Irrigation District, Tulelake Irrigation District (TID), and Klamath Drainage District. The Project Supply does not include any water from the Lost River system that becomes available to those areas through the Lost River Diversion Channel or other limited sources.
“Bottom line, we’re looking at less than half of the water that’s needed,” said TID Manager Brad Kirby, who calculated the current estimate of Project Supply.
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