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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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A leading U.S. environmental conservation group has released its annual list of the country’s most endangered rivers. The Colorado River tops the list, but states across the nation must address polluted, dry, and unhealthy rivers, according to the list and accompanying report published today by American Rivers.
The list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers, published annually since 1984, highlights rivers in peril that are facing critical policy or management decisions in the next year. The roster is culled from nominations submitted by individuals and groups from around the country and focuses on waterways that have a significant influence on surrounding communities.
Some of the country’s biggest rivers made this year’s list, including the Colorado, Mississippi, and Snake Rivers. But waterways large and small are affected by stressors such as urbanization, agricultural and industrial waste, and climate change. And underserved communities are affected the most, according to the report.
Despite Clean Water Act regulations, pollution continues to affect major U.S. waterways. “Pollutants poke the balance that gives rise to all of the ecosystem services we depend on,” said Adam Ward, a hydrologist at Oregon State University.
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The Snake River to Salish Sea Spirit of the Waters totem pole journey launches Tuesday, May 3, at Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship. The 2,300mile journey highlights the vital role of the Snake River, salmon and orca to the lifeways and identities of Tribal communities in the region. NATASHA BRENNAN McClatchy
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See more than 200 student projects that use science and technology to take on some of the world’s biggest problems. Experience the depth and breadth of engineering talent and ingenuity at Oregon State University. Come and be amazed.
The 2022 Engineering Expo is free and open to the public. A Virtual Expo option is available for those unable to travel to Corvallis. Registration is encouraged for high school and middle school class visits. For complete details, digital program, Virtual Expo access, and class registration, please visit events.engineering.oregonstate.edu/expo2022.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans totaling $65 million to the Rockwood Water People’s Utility District and the City of Gresham, Ore. to support their Cascade Groundwater Development Program.
The project will develop a regional groundwater system to provide reliable, high-quality drinking water to over 130,000 customers.
The WIFIA loans will provide approximately $30 million for Rockwood Water People’s Utility District and $34 million for the City of Gresham to finance the expansion of their existing groundwater infrastructure and develop an independent regional groundwater system.
“We are proud that Gresham and Rockwood serve one of the most diverse communities in Oregon. We serve water to some of the most diverse zip codes in the entire state, which includes a large population of recent immigrants, low-income residents, seniors, and families with children,” said Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall. “The WIFIA loan ensures an equitable and affordable delivery of quality water to our vulnerable population and is critical to the success of this project. As the cost of housing continues to increase, this is a step we can take to ensure our services stay focused on long term affordability.”
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A Native American tribe in Oregon said Tuesday it is assessing its legal options after learning the U.S. government plans to release water from a federally operated reservoir to downstream farmers along the Oregon-California border amid a historic drought.
Even limited irrigation for the farmers who use Klamath River water on about 300 square miles of crops puts two critically endangered fish species in peril of extinction because the water withdrawals come at the height of spawning season, The Klamath Tribes said. This summer’s water allocation plan, released by the Bureau of Reclamation last week, will send about 50,000 acre-feet of water to farmers in the Klamath Reclamation Project — less than 15% of what they would get in a normal year.
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Oregon environmental regulators have issued a “pre-enforcement notice” to a potato processing plant in Hermiston after finding the company repeatedly overapplied excess wastewater to nearby farmland and contaminated the groundwater in the area.
Last month, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality found Lamb Weston violated its water pollution permit 75 times from 2016 through 2020 and added approximately 189 tons of excess nitrate to the groundwater in an area where nitrate contamination already exceeds the federal limit for safe drinking water.
Lamb Weston, which produces about 750 million pounds of french fries annually in Hermiston and is one of the area’s largest employers, recycles wastewater used during processing by applying it to nearby farms for irrigation. According to DEQ, the nitrate levels found downstream of the facility were up to seven times higher than the drinking water limit of 10 milliliters per liter set by the Environmental Protection Agency. DEQ discovered these violations after the facility filed to renew its permit and gave the facility 45 days to notify the agency of corrective actions.
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Sprawled like a gigantic swimming pool atop a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan is an asphalt-and-clay pond holding enough water to produce electricity for 1.6 million households.
It's part of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant, which uses simple technology: Water is piped from a lower reservoir — the lake, in this case — to an upper one, then released downhill through supersized turbines.
Supporters call these systems “the world's largest batteries" because they hold vast amounts of potential energy for use when needed for the power grid.
The hydropower industry considers pumped storage the best answer to a question hovering over the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy to address climate change: where to get power when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing.
The nation has 43 pumped storage facilities with a combined capacity of 22 gigawatts, the output of that many nuclear plants. Yet just one small operation has been added since 1995 — and it's unknown how many of more than 90 planned can overcome economic, regulatory and logistical barriers that force long delays.
Three projects have obtained licenses from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, but none are being built. Developers of a long-planned Oregon facility expect work to begin in 2023.
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Oregon’s Klamath County has again failed to sufficiently analyze the impacts of a wastewater facility on 211 acres zoned for forestland, according to a land use ruling.
The state’s Land Use Board of Appeals has ordered the county to reconsider its authorization of the sewage treatment project sought by the City of Chiloquin. In a similar remand decision in 2020, LUBA ruled that the county didn’t consider necessary land use criteria in granting a permit and zone change for the project.
LUBA has now ruled that Klamath County’s second approval of the facility last year has continued to suffer from shortcomings.
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A drought state of emergency blankets more than half of Oregon’s land area, according to declarations from Gov. Kate Brown. This week, the governor added four more counties east of the Cascades to the list of places facing severe water shortages.
Executive orders warn that extreme conditions are likely to hurt local growers and livestock, increase the potential for fire, shorten the growing season, and decrease water supplies. The emergency declarations allow people who use water to seek temporary relief measures, such as moving water rights, drilling emergency wells and applying for state and federal aid.
Since March, the governor has declared drought emergencies in 11 Oregon counties covering more than 53,000 square miles. This week Deschutes, Grant, Lake and Malheur joined Crook, Gilliam, Harney, Jackson, Jefferson, Klamath and Morrow counties.
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The US Army Corp of Engineers, which manages Lost Creek Lake and Applegate Lake, said April’s rainfall has helped with the ongoing drought conditions.
Eric Petersen, the operations manager for the Willamette and Rogue Basin Project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said after a less-than-favorable start to the year, the recent precipitation was needed.
“We’ve had a really unusual winter: January, February, and March were exceptionally dry,” Petersen said. “April was wet and really saved our conservation season and yet we are into the first week of May and we expect snow and we are building snowpack in the mountains and that’s a really good thing right now.”
Since the drought has been severe, the rain and snow will only marginally improve conditions in the region, but Petersen said it's better than what was predicted.
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Thousands of Oregonians near the town of Boardman in the northeast corner of the state live atop an aquifer so tainted with farming chemicals that it’s not safe to drink.
State officials have known that for more than 30 years. And so has one source of that contamination – the Port of Morrow.
Officials at the state’s Department of Environmental Quality have known nitrate pollution in area groundwater is putting the health of largely low-income, Latino and immigrant families at risk. An investigation by the Capital Chronicle established that little has been done about the port’s contribution to area water contamination besides modest fines and engaging in agreements that the port in turn violated.
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It's been raining, day after day, in one of the wettest springs ever in Portland.
With only a few dry days in the past months, drivers, bikers, and pedestrians have had to travel on wet roads almost every single day.
"When we do get bigger rain showers, often times that can lead to ponding, puddles, which can be dangerous for people who can be driving or walking," said Hannah Schafer, with the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
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Inadequate sewer and power systems, unsuitable housing or shelter, increasing crime, lack of internet or cell phone service, drinking water wells that are easily contaminated, and abandoned vehicles and boats — those are just some of the problems that have stacked up for managers of the 31 so-called “in-lieu” and “treaty fishing access sites” along the Columbia River.
The federal government created the sites in Washington and Oregon after the construction of dams on the river flooded tribal villages and fishing sites and displaced citizens of the four Columbia River treaty tribes whose ancestors had lived along the river and relied on its salmon for thousands of years.
But now, after the four treaty tribes have fought for years to be compensated for the loss of the land, the federal government says it’s serious about finally addressing the sites’ infrastructure deficiencies.
During a tour of three sites on May 3, the top federal official overseeing tribal affairs in the U.S. announced that the government would provide $880,000 to allow for the development of a plan to upgrade infrastructure at three of some of the neediest tribal treaty fishing sites. The money will also be used to tackle immediate problems like fixing shower and bathroom facilities and removing hundreds of abandoned vehicles and boats.
“This is a down payment,” Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland said while visiting the Cooks Landing in-lieu site on the Washington side of the river. “We’re trying to get the infrastructure here up to a place that’s fit for the people who’ve always called this place home.”
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The Oregon governor’s office is usually reactive when it comes to dealing with drought – sending relief money to affected counties or providing water deliveries in communities after wells have gone dry.
What specific steps would you take to provide long-term solutions for years of increasing drought?
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Idaho Power has used cloud seeding to produce more water for its hydroelectric plants since 2003 with much success.
The utility owns and operates 17 hydroelectric plants on the Snake River in Southern Idaho and its tributaries.
Idaho Power's cloud-seeding program seeds only a small portion of the 69,200 square-mile drainage area that feeds the Snake River upstream from Weiser, Idaho.
Shaun Parkinson, Idaho Power's cloud seeding leader, estimates on average cloud seeding produces one million acre-feet of additional runoff in the Snake River Watershed per year for the utility, or roughly five Wickiup Reservoirs full of water.
But to quote the legal disclaimer on many advertising claims: your results may vary.
The first step is a climate study. How much moisture is in the atmosphere? How often does the area have "seeding opportunities," which may not include all storms?
Will the geology handle extra water?
"Some watersheds are really flashy," said Kunkel. "A rain on snow event can cause flooding. Those are not ideal."
Mike Britton, NUID executive manager, has researched the idea of cloud seeding and determined a climatology study for the Deschutes Basin would cost $600,000.
Both Britton and Josh Bailey, NUID general manager, have cloud seeding on their radar. Their immediate priorities involve surviving the drought and installing a pumping station at Lake Billy Chinook.
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According to the Oregon Health Authority, a quarter of Oregon residents rely on wells for their drinking water, and many of them live in rural parts of the state that are particularly vulnerable to wildfires. Freelance journalist and author Erika Bolstad recently wrote about how toxic chemicals like arsenic and benzene can leach into wells after a wildfire, and how droughts and other extreme weather events can increase the concentration of harmful contaminants in well water. She joins us to talk about what she’s learned and whether a free voucher program open to eligible property owners is having an effect.
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Opponents of an irrigation pipeline project in Central Oregon are incorrect that it violates an easement meant for open canals, according to a federal magistrate judge.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Mustafa Kasubhai has determined the Tumalo Irrigation District hasn’t exceeded the scope of an easement across opponents’ properties by replacing open canals with piping.
The irrigation district is installing pipelines to conserve water that would otherwise be lost to seepage and evaporation, but opponents fear the loss of an open canal will harm vegetation and reduce their property values.
Kasubhai has recommended rejecting the arguments of nine landowners who filed a complaint seeking to block the pipeline project, but the ruling must still be affirmed by U.S. District Judge Anne Aiken to have legal effect.
“Placing irrigation pipes below ground is a reasonable modification that falls squarely within the easement’s purpose,” Kasubhai said.
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With a significantly wetter April on the books, projections for the upcoming summer irrigation season for the Talent Irrigation District in southern Oregon have improved slightly.
This year, the district anticipates that there should be enough water for a 30-day irrigation season, that could tentatively start on or around June 15, according to TID Board President Mike Winters.
Winter said there’s a chance that the district could have more than 30 days available but he would prefer to “underpromise” and “overdeliver” when it comes to making estimates for the season.
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Across the West, state leaders are bracing against the long-term impacts of aridification. In late April, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown added four additional counties to the ‘drought emergency’ tally — now, half the state is in a state of emergency. Further south, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which gets water to millions of city dwellers, restricted outdoor water use for the first time ever. In Colorado, the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated the entire state a “primary natural disaster area” due to the threat of drought — also considered an ‘unprecedented’ move. The Southwest, as a whole, has been hit hard with dry conditions: Utah and New Mexico both issued separate emergency declarations, one for water scarcity and the other for wildfire.
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