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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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Researchers from Oregon State University say ecological data gathered during a recent low-flow experiment in the Grand Canyon is a key step toward understanding Colorado River ecosystems as the amount of water in the river continues to decline.
Dave Lytle, professor of integrative biology, and Ph.D. students Angelika Kurthen and Jared Freedman teamed with scientists from the United States Geological Survey during the March 2021 project to examine the quantity and diversity of invertebrates in the river. Monitoring aquatic invertebrates is an important tool for keeping track of stream health.
“The Colorado River and its dams are important to cities throughout the Southwest, and as a result of that management the river experiences some pretty unusual flows,” Lytle said. “During the day in the Grand Canyon, river levels can rise several feet, then they can drop down several feet, stranding your boat if you’re not careful. That’s because there’s high electricity demand during the day and lower demand at night.”
The high flow during times of heavy demand for power is known as hydropeaking.
“Hydropeaking can cause trouble for ecosystems downstream, and with our collaborators we’re experimenting with ways to change river flows to make them more compatible with productive ecosystems,” Lytle said. “Invertebrates are food for fish, birds and bats, and we want to enhance that food base by testing out different flow regimes that mesh with management ideas.”
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Wastewater treatment facilities clean the water that goes down our sinks and flushes our toilets, but they do not remove everything. A recent study by Portland State researchers detected low levels of pharmaceuticals and personal care product chemicals in oysters the team deployed at various distances from wastewater effluent pipes along the Oregon and Washington coast. Elise Granek, professor of environmental science and management at Portland State University, and Amy Ehrhart, a recent graduate of PSU's Earth, Environment, and Society doctoral program, conducted the study.
To explore how aquatic pollution varies based on proximity to wastewater facilities, Ehrhart and Granek placed one-week-old Pacific oysters at wastewater sites (not approved by state agencies as oyster growing sites) and near oyster aquaculture sites (approved for growing oysters) along the Oregon and Washington coastline. Nine and twelve months later, they collected the oysters, measured their health and size, and tested their tissues for pharmaceuticals and chemicals called alkylphenols, which are used in a variety of personal care and industrial products. Alkylphenols are endocrine disruptors that can alter the growth and reproduction of aquatic organisms.
Out of the 63 compounds tested, Granek and Ehrhart found only six in the oysters. The two pharmaceuticals detected in the oysters were miconazole, an over-the-counter drug for fungal infections like Athlete's foot, and virginiamycin, a veterinary antibiotic used in livestock. As expected, the concentrations of pharmaceuticals were higher near the wastewater sites. The condition of the oysters was also poorer at wastewater sites compared to the sites near oyster farms.
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Historically dry conditions are raising concerns that another long wildfire season may be ahead in Oregon.
Experts at Oregon State University held a virtual forum Monday to discuss this year’s drought and fire conditions. Meanwhile, several large blazes are already burning thousands of acres and temperatures are expected to reach into the triple-digits statewide.
“Right now, we are drier at this point than we were at this point last year,” said Larry O’Neill, state climatologist with the Oregon Climate Service. “I think we’re in the thick of it right now, at least in terms of the drought conditions and how it projects onto wildfire risk.”
Meg Krawchuk, an associate professor at the College of Forestry, said conditions on the ground are more characteristic of what firefighters might expect in July, rather than June.
“When we have early and longstanding drought, we’re more likely to have fires burning,” Krawchuk said.
Lisa Ellsworth, an assistant professor who studies fire behavior and rangeland ecology at the College of Agricultural Sciences, said Oregon is not at the point yet where fire season lasts year-round, as in California. But the trend toward higher temperatures and more severe drought across the West is having an impact.
“Twenty years ago, when I fought wildland fire, our seasons looked nothing like this,” she said.
Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, said it is impossible to pin the trend entirely on climate change, but “the types of weather patterns we’re seeing this year are consistent with what has been observed and what is projected as climate continues to change.” Hotter and drier weather does not always necessarily mean more fires. There must be a spark, in combination with the right conditions, for wildfire to spread.
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Bend resident Joanna Malaczynski was introduced to the issue of toxic chemicals in consumer products during her career as an attorney doing antitrust law and work involving toxins in products.
“I had both a knowledge of how slow and unmotivated the industries were (and) the gravity of the problem,” she said. “But a lot of it was still abstract. For example, I was familiar with terms such as neurotoxin, which are chemicals that are toxic to the brain and neurological system, but I didn’t really know what that meant.”
Then she became sick from chemical exposure herself.
Malaczynski has written a 180-page book on the subject titled “Silent Winter: Our Chemical World and Chronic Illness.” Published in March by Algora Publishing, “Silent Winter” explores the link between toxic chemicals in our environment and asthma, cancer, depression, chronic fatigue, dementia and other illnesses, many of which are often ascribed to people’s lifestyles or genes.
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The package makes $538.1 million in investments at the state, regional, and local levels. The funding includes a massive investment in drinking water, wastewater, and groundwater infrastructure projects across the state. The package also provides one-time funding to greatly increase access to water data, provide additional water planning support for communities, and expand a system to identify and address local and regional water use needs.
“It is incredibly important that we provide adequate funding to support Oregon’s water resources. This water package makes many key investments that will help to ensure Oregonians have access to clean and reliable water and will set us on a path to better support our water systems into the future,” said Senator Kathleen Taylor (D-Milwaukie), who worked to develop this package as Co-Chair of the Joint Ways & Means Natural Resources Subcommittee.
“This historic, bipartisan water package comes at a critical time,” said Representative Ken Helm (D-Beaverton), Chair of the House Water Committee. “In the face of severe drought and wildfire crises, these investments in infrastructure, planning tools and assistance for local communities will help protect a sustainable water future for all Oregonians.”
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The NIWR Board of Directors supported the development of a survey to collect information on Institute Governance, activities, and finances. View the Esri Story Map by clicking the title to learn more.
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2021 VACCINE Webinar Series
This new “VACCINE” webinar series follows upon last spring’s popular “COVID” webinar series. You can view recordings of last year’s webinars at Water Right Video Handbook or Guide
A preliminary list of the new topics is posted here:
Tuesday, July 13th —What Terms To Include In a Well Share Agreement?
Tuesday, August 3rd – How to Take Advantage of a Winter Appropriation Using Storage.
Tuesday, September 14—Due Diligence for Canal, Pond, and Drainage Maintenance: Wetlands Delineation.
Tuesday, October 19---How to Change or Remove an Easement (Ditch, Road, Well Share) from Real Estate.
Tuesday, November 9—Should or Can You Take Stormwater Into Your Existing System?
Get on the mailing list here for registrations.
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Governor Kate Brown today issued Executive Order 21-20, directing state agencies to curtail nonessential water use, implement water conservation measures, and encourage drought resiliency. The directive comes as a result of 19 Oregon counties already in declared drought emergencies, and the rest of Oregon facing threats of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The Executive Order, effective today, directs state agencies that own or manage land or facilities to:
• Implement actions that curtail or end the non-essential use of water for landscaping and other exterior features of buildings and grounds, including lawn watering, fountains that do not re-circulate water, and window washing;
• Institute a moratorium (where allowed) on the installation of new non-essential landscaping projects that require irrigation at state-owned buildings; and
• Develop and place signs and other messaging within state-owned buildings to encourage state employees to reduce their non-essential uses of water inside state-owned buildings.
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As drought intensifies across the West, cattle ranchers are making difficult decisions.
Amid water and forage shortages, mounting hay prices and market fluctuations, many ranchers are selling cattle so they'll have fewer mouths to feed. Some are culling cows, selling calves early and reducing breeding stock numbers. Others are selling entire herds.
Paul Lewis, who runs cattle on leased land in Klamath County, Ore., said he's concerned he'll no longer have water from nearby Gerber Reservoir by the start of August.
"Everybody's knuckled down, saving water," he said.
Cyndie Siemsen, another Klamath Basin rancher, said she's worried about her aquifer.
"If the well goes low, we're going to have to start hauling water," she said.
Ranchers across Oregon and California say forage is parched and limited. Some are driving out of state in search of pasture. Others are rotating pastures more often.
"It's the worst I've ever seen it," said John Shine, a rancher in Lake County, Ore.
Shine charges other ranchers a fee to graze their cattle on his summer pasture, but because grass is limited, this year, he's stocking 30% to 40% fewer animals.
Tom Sharp, president of Oregon Cattlemen's Association and a rancher in Burns, Ore., he's rotating pastures twice as fast as usual.
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At the June commission meeting, the Oregon Water Resources Commission awarded $908,127 in grants to fund eight project studies for the 2021 cycle of Feasibility Study Grants.
Funding awards included:
$27,760 to the Deschutes River Conservancy and the Central Oregon Irrigation District for the Dry River Canyon Conservation Study to assess irrigation water runoff points and determine the feasibility of reducing water waste.
$185,000 to the Wasco County Soil Water Conservation District for Phase II of the Fifteenmile Watershed Managed Underground Storage Study to investigate the feasibility of a subsurface storage project in the Fifteenmile watershed.
$15,000 to the City of Silverton to conduct a high-level analysis of possible locations for a regional aquifer recharge and/or aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) site near the City of Silverton and City of Mt. Angel.
$171,072 to the Deschutes River Conservancy and the Central Oregon Irrigation District for the Smith Rock - King Way Water Conservation Feasibility Study to identify potential conservation opportunities and create a toolbox to assist with prioritization and implementation of on-farm water conservation projects.
$114,000 to Union County to explore storage locations and assess site suitability by examining a variety of social, legal, environmental, economic, and technical factors, while simultaneously conducting a large-scale study to determine instream flow needs for fisheries.
$293,895 to Grant Soil and Water Conservation District for the Upper John Day Aquifer Storage and Recovery Feasibility Study to create a 3D hydrogeologic framework and identify preferred options for groundwater recharge and recovery projects.
$26,400 to the Modoc Irrigation District to evaluate the feasibility of building one or more above-ground reservoirs to store off-season run-off from the Upper Klamath Lake Basin.
$75,000 to the Farmers Conservation Alliance to produce a comprehensive System Improvement Plan for the Walla Walla Irrigation District. The study would identify and evaluate opportunities to modernize the District’s infrastructure in a manner that benefits agriculture, the environment, and the community.
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This summer’s strife recalls the events of summer 2001, when drought caused the Bureau of Reclamation to cut off water to the majority of fields in the area and farmers staged a standoff to restore the flow. Now, the basin is facing an even worse drought: A large-scale fish kill has already happened, and, for the first time since 2001, the majority of farming in the basin must cease for lack of water.
Another factor reminiscent of 2001 is a new iteration of an old theme: An extremist element is present in the region, more energized and better organized than in the past.
But there are critical political and legal differences between this year and 2001: Years of negotiations on large-scale settlements have built relationships between tribal nations, politicians, agencies and irrigators that didn’t exist before. And a slew of court cases over the past two decades have affirmed that the federal government must prioritize tribal nations’ water rights and protected species’ needs.
“The state and the federal government, I believe, have a real responsibility to help folks,” said Klamath Tribes Chairman Don Gentry. (Don and Joey Gentry are siblings.) “It’s an environmental injustice ... This is our homeland; all the things that were placed here should be here. We shouldn’t have to fight over them.”
“The state and the federal government, I believe, have a real responsibility to help folks.”
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A proposal to bring down four hydroelectric dams near the California-Oregon border cleared a major regulatory hurdle Thursday, setting the stage for the largest dam demolition project in U.S. history to save imperiled migratory salmon.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission action comes after the demolition proposal almost fell apart last summer, but then a new agreement and additional funding revived it. Thursday's ruling will allow the utility that runs the dams, PacifiCorp, to transfer its hydroelectric license jointly to the nonprofit Klamath River Renewal Corporation, Oregon and California.
Regulators still must approve the actual surrender of the license. Dam removal could start in 2023.
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Today, during a House Natural Resources Committee Budget Oversight Hearing on the Department of Interior's Spending Priorities and the President's Fiscal Year Budget 2022 Proposal, Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-Ont.) questioned Department of the Interior Secretary Debra Haaland on the Agency's efforts to direct relief to the Klamath Basin where extreme and exceptional drought conditions have caused the Klamath Project to make an unprecedented zero water allocation for irrigators this water year.
"In April, the Administration announced the creation of an interagency working group to address the worsening drought conditions in the West and support farmers, tribes, and communities impacted by water shortages," said Bentz. "Right now, things are incredibly grim in the Klamath Basin. With silence from the Administration comes increased frustration, which we absolutely want to avoid given the incredible challenges faced by all groups in the Basin. Has the working group been formed and has it met? If not, when can we anticipate that group will visit the Klamath Basin?"
"Congressman, thank you so much for the question and thank you again for your accessibility to my staff," said Haaland. "Your input has been extremely beneficial and we appreciate that very much. I know how important this issue is to you. We want to make sure that we will be in touch with you as this working group moves forward. As soon as we are able to meet, we will make sure that we reach out to you."
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On June 23, 2021, the Ninth Circuit in Deschutes River All. v. Portland Gen. Elec. became the first court in the country to hold that Congress did not clearly and unambiguously waive tribal sovereign immunity under the Clean Water Act. In a groundbreaking decision dismissing a citizen suit against Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Spring Reservation of Oregon brought by the Deschutes River Alliance seeking to enforce compliance with a section 401 water quality certification for the Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project co-owned by the Tribe and PGE, the Court found that the CWA did not abrogate the Tribe’s immunity and that the suit should have been dismissed under Rule 19 because the Tribe was an indispensable party to suit.
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The Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) emphasized that tap water throughout the state remains clean and safe despite a chlorine supply chain interruption affecting regional drinking water and wastewater treatment utilities along the West Coast.
“There are no immediate impacts, and we continue to track for potential changes or needs,” said OEM Deputy Director Matt Marheine. “The public can continue to use water for drinking, cooking and bathing, but may consider limiting outdoor use to extend the state’s current chlorine supply. We appreciate the public’s careful water usage and want to reassure there is no need to start amassing additional volumes of water.”
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"Every farmer out here is desperate and doing everything possible to save water," says Richard Coleman, who farms 400 acres in Jefferson County. He says he's already lost $1 million in revenue this year.
"It's water wars over here. We're fighting over every drop of water that comes off of someone's farm."
"We're all so scared for our livelihoods. When there's nothing growing, you have nothing to sell, but the costs are still there, if not higher," says Linda Anspach of DD Ranch in Terrebonne, "but I don't have room to complain because Jefferson County is in a much more precarious situation."
Every farmer you talk to in the Deschutes Basin says the same thing: This is the worst water year they've ever seen.
The records go back 75 years to when irrigation first came to Jefferson County.
The Wickiup Reservoir, located about 40 miles southwest of Bend, stores water for the North Unit Irrigation District, which serves Jefferson County. Wickiup has never been lower at this time of year.
Jefferson County farmers have never had a smaller water allotment or paid so much for it.
Read more about the four-letter word simmered under the frustration and anger in the room: frog - Farmers fume at meeting over water shortage
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Crooked River Ranch water rose above competitors from around the country to take second place in the Great American Water Taste Test. They share the second-place trophy with Honeyville City of Utah.
The National Rural Water Association announced the decision virtually in February as the CRR water staff gathered around the monitor to watch.
"We were pretty excited. That was pretty awesome," says Manager Frank Day. "It's not often tiny little Crooked River Ranch gets recognized on the national stage like that."
Rural water districts throughout the nation compete for the taste test title in their state. The state champions typically compete at the annual Rural Water Rally in Washington, D.C. This year, because of COVID, the National Rural Water Association held the competition virtually.
Judges measure three factors: clarity, bouquet or smell, and taste.
Crooked River Water comes by its good taste naturally. The company does not treat the water from its two wells.
"We pump water out. We put it into a tank," says Day. "It goes from the tank out to the people."
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Big Butte Springs has powered Jackson County’s growth for almost a century with an abundant source of pure water, but reduced flows over the past three years have been a wake-up call.
“What we’re seeing now is nothing like what we’ve seen in the last 20-year period,” said Brad Taylor, general manager of the Medford Water Commission. “We’re experiencing unprecedented drought impacts in our region.”
Typically the Water Commission draws 26.4 million gallons a day from the springs in summer, but recently that amount dropped to 19 million.
After resolving an issue with a particular group of springs, the water commission was able to get flows up to 23 million.
Taylor said similar reduced flows have been experienced over the past few years during a time of low rainfall and less snow in the mountains.
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Each new report about this year’s western drought reveals another record-breaking development: Hoover Dam’s Lake Mead is at its lowest level ever. More acres have already burned across California compared to this time last year. Extraordinary electricity demand is straining the Texas electric grid to its limit.
As a former member of the US intelligence community, I have no doubt that intelligence analysts in foreign capitals are watching the reports come in with one purpose in mind — analyzing the impact of these unprecedented developments on security in the United States.
What might their analysis reveal?
That the warning lights are blinking red. That broiling temperatures, severe water stress and off-the-charts fire danger create both tangible security risks — such as threats to U.S. military infrastructure — as well as more intangible, complicated risks such as increased societal turmoil in a country still recovering from the political and pandemic shocks of 2020.
Their analysis might point to the current situation along the Oregon-California border as exemplifying the risk of rising tensions among communities with competing claims to dwindling water supplies. There the federal government’s decision to shut the gates to the Klamath Project irrigation system due to historically low water levels has prompted threats from some affected residents to open the irrigation canal by force.
The key question for the intelligence analyst, then, is whether the situation in Oregon is an aberration or a harbinger of what’s to come? Scholars point to two key ingredients states need to maintain stability and avoid conflict in the face of climate hazards: legitimacy and capacity.
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Warner Williams Jr. cannot drink the water delivered to his house by the Warm Springs utilities.
"There have been reports of bad algae in the water system," says Williams. "They tried filter systems, but the algae would clog the filters."
Williams resorted to buying cases of water for his family.
For the last three weeks, though, Williams uses solar power to turn the moisture in the air into pure drinking water.
"It tastes really good!" says Williams. He especially likes that he doesn't have to plug anything in. The sun powers the panel that generates the water and the pump that sends the water to a special faucet in his house.
His solar panels deliver about one to two gallons a day. "If it's super cloudy, it might not produce as much," says Williams.
The Warm Springs Reservation has had long-term, stubborn water issues. This latest solution comes as a collaboration between the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and SOURCE Global, a company that designs off-grid water systems throughout the world.
The project provides panels for 36 households who get the water piped right into their homes. May 22, they turned on an array of 200 panels that generates 150 gallons a day.
Jim Souers, chief executive officer of the Warm Spring Economic Development Corporation, says the SOURCE Global system provides 150 gallons of drinking water per day. He hopes to enlarge the system to provide 750 gallons per day.
"This is where the special magic's happening," says Souers, pointing to the mechanics inside a panel. "Because it's hot on one side and it's cooler on the other side, this panel slowly collects droplets of water."
Essentially, the system uses solar power to distill the moisture in the air into pure water. Too pure, in fact, according to Souers. He says minerals make the water healthier.
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Ben DuVal knelt in a barren field near the California-Oregon state line and scooped up a handful of parched soil as dust devils whirled around him and birds flitted between empty irrigation pipes.
Competition over the water from the river has always been intense. But this summer there is simply not enough, and the farmers, tribes and wildlife refuges that have long competed for every drop now face a bleak and uncertain future together.
“Everybody depends on the water in the Klamath River for their livelihood. That’s the blood that ties us all together. ... They want to have the opportunity to teach their kids to fish for salmon just like I want to have the opportunity to teach my kids how to farm," DuVal said of the downriver Yurok and Karuk tribes. “Nobody’s coming out ahead this year. Nobody’s winning.”
With the decadeslong conflict over water rights reaching a boiling point, those living the nightmare worry the Klamath Basin's unprecedented drought is a harbinger as global warming accelerates.
“For me, for my family, we see this as a direct result of climate change,” said Frankie Myers, vice chairman of the Yurok Tribe, which is monitoring a massive fish kill where the river enters the ocean. “The system is crashing, not just for Yurok people ... but for people up and down the Klamath Basin, and it’s heartbreaking.”
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With support from Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and local state representatives E. Werner Reschke, Lynn Findley and Mike Owens, major improvements are expected to be made to the Town of Lakeview water system, with little impact on local ratepayers.
Brown is expected to sign House Bill 5006 — which among other items includes $15 million for the Town of Lakeview Water Treatment Facility.
For years the Town has been examining options for how to improve the quality of water within the community, a common complaint that has stretched back decades. Large sections of the community have dirty, though drinkable water. The project would fix the vast majority of the issues bedeviling the water system such as manganese and iron which are in the system and naturally occurring in the Town’s wells.
These naturally occurring minerals are within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards, which makes it difficult for the Town to go after grant funding to replace either the aging pipes or to get rid of the iron and manganese. Because of the naturally occurring geothermal springs surrounding Goose Lake Valley, the region has a naturally high occurrence of iron and manganese affecting the Town’s water supply.
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Severe, persistent droughts highlight the need for landowners, buyers, and lessees to understand the water rights associated with a particular property or operation. This article suggests three questions that should be asked when investigating water rights.
1.Do you have the right to use water?
All water in Oregon – including surface water and groundwater – belongs to the public. With limited exceptions, the use of that water requires some type of state authorization. Water rights are granted with specific terms and conditions that govern their use. For example, water rights will typically specify the source, point of diversion (discussed below), type of use, place of use, season of use, and quantity of water, among other limitations. In certain instances, water rights can be lost due to non-use.
Certain uses of water are exempt from the requirement to obtain written authorization from the state – generally referred to as “exempt uses.” For example, exempt uses generally include the right to pump up to 15,000 gallons per day of groundwater for domestic use and 5,000 gallons per day for industrial use. However, care should be taken to understand the scope of any exempt use and whether the state has placed further restrictions on such use based on location or water source.
Landowners, buyers, and lessees should confirm that all existing uses of water on a given parcel are authorized under a valid, existing water right or exempt use. Just because a seller is currently using water on the parcel doesn’t mean the use is authorized or valid.
If a particular parcel lacks water rights, options include obtaining a new water right (increasingly difficult), purchasing and transferring existing water rights, or purchasing water from a water supply entity. Additional options may be available in counties where the governor has issued a drought declaration (e.g., emergency drought permits and temporary drought transfers).
2. Do you have access to the water source?
A water right will usually specify the particular point at which water can be diverted (from a surface water source) or pumped (from a groundwater source) – the “point of diversion.” In most circumstances, the point of diversion cannot be changed without state approval.
A water right does not itself authorize the owner to access the point of diversion. This is not an issue if the point of diversion is located on the same property as the authorized place of use. But if the point of diversion is located on a neighbor’s property, or the water must be conveyed across a neighbor’s property, a separate authorization – commonly an easement – is necessary to access and operate the point of diversion and associated water conveyance infrastructure.
Landowners, buyers, and lessees should confirm valid, enforceable access to the point of diversion and review the terms and conditions of any preexisting easements – particularly duration, termination rights, and maintenance obligations.
3. Is water actually available?
Allocation of water among water right owners is based on a “first in time, first in right” priority system. This means if sufficient water is not available to satisfy all water rights on a given stream system or from a given aquifer, the owners of senior water rights can require junior water right owners to curtail their diversions.
And priority is relative: a 1920s-era water right may be senior in one area but junior in another. Given this priority system, landowners, buyers, and lessees should understand the likelihood of future curtailment based on the relative priorities of the water rights at issue.
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Yet, Grant County has hatched a counterintuitive effort to reverse years of economic decline by becoming more like…Portland.
John Day, the county’s largest city with roughly 1,750 people, has embarked on an ambitious series of infrastructure projects intended to transform the town into a model environmental community, what City Manager Nick Green called “the first self-sustaining community in the country.”
The plan rests on a $13 million wastewater treatment plant that will replace the city’s existing 72-year-old facility with a hydroponic system capable of recycling up to 80 million gallons of wastewater per year — essential in a dry region prone to drought and wildfires.
The recycled water will be used in a network of high-technology greenhouses where the city is test-piloting a program to grow fruits and vegetables under controlled, water-efficient conditions for local consumption and export. Most county agriculture is dedicated to cattle feed, forcing local stores to import produce.
The water also will be used at Malheur Lumber Company, Grant County’s last remaining sawmill, which was saved from obsolescence nearly a decade ago by an unusual coalition of loggers, environmentalists and state and local lawmakers. The mill processes timber cut under terms drafted by a local forestry planning partnership that seeks to reverse the disastrous effects of decades of fire suppression, clear-cutting and overly stringent environmental regulation.
The plan’s final step calls for replacing another local sawmill, shuttered decades ago, with a wood pulp digester that will use lumber mill byproducts to generate energy for the wastewater treatment plant and greenhouses.
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Wickiup Reservoir has approximately six weeks’ worth of water reserves. Unless there is substantial rainfall over the next six weeks, patrons of North Unit Irrigation District in Jefferson County will see their water delivery shut down at the earliest date in the district’s history.
Around Aug. 18, Wickiup Reservoir will fall to 2,500 acre-feet, a level the irrigation districts have stated they will stop the release of water. By around Aug. 20, North Unit Irrigation District will stop delivering water from Haystack Reservoir, which collects water after its long journey through canals from the Upper Deschutes River.
This will essentially end irrigation on thousands of acres of Central Oregon’s most productive farmland for the season.
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"The new Washington Park Reservoir is now fully in operation!" bureau spokeswoman Jaymee Cuti wrote in an email to the Tribune.
The voluminous storage area will supply 12.4 million gallons of drinking water to 360,000 people living west of the Willamette River, including all downtown denizens. Roughly 31% of "journeyworkers" on the project were identified as women or people of color, according to the bureau, beating expectations.
First estimated to cost $67 million when the project was proposed in 2005, the price tag swelled to $205 million in 2019 but has held steady in recent years. Workers finished pouring concrete in December and have spent the past six months ensuring the vaults are truly watertight, sanitized and seismically safe.
The reservoirs also will serve as a resource for firefighters.
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