Low flows in the Deschutes River have exposed mud in Mirror Pond and boulders across from McKay Park, but water officials say the river level should be back up by the weekend. Still, the relatively dry winter and thin snowpack could lead to a difficult summer for fish, farmers and others dependent on water flows.

For about a decade, the Deschutes River Conservancy, irrigation districts and water managers have been focusing on the middle stretch of the Deschutes River between Bend and Lake Billy Chinook — replacing open canals with pipes, leasing or buying water rights and doing other conservation projects to allow more water to be left in the river to improve fish habitat and water quality.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife should recognize this truth: Two small hydroelectric projects on local irrigation canals will benefit fish, not hurt them. So why punish the irrigation districts with a burdensome and unnecessary mandate?

A $1.7 million project that would create a safe floating passage and whitewater play area at the Colorado Avenue dam is back on the agenda this week for the Bend Park & Recreation District board.

Last time Candace Baker went cross-country skiing, she had to drive up the Cascade Lakes Highway to the high-elevation Dutchman Flat Sno-park to find good snow.

State Sen. Chris Telfer, R-Bend, wants the state to drop a requirement that local irrigation districts help fish get across North Canal Dam, on Bend’s north side.

Anglers are eagerly awaiting what is projected to be the largest run of spring chinook salmon to enter the Columbia River since the construction of Bonneville Dam in the 1930s.

One word can make all the difference, especially in the complex and contentious field of water law.

The fish and water intake tower at Round Butte Dam is designed so that fish following water currents toward the Pacific Ocean will be drawn into an underwater structure, sorted and marked. Crews will then drive them around the Round Butte, Pelton and Reregulating dams for release into the Lower Deschutes. ... get sorted by size so the smaller ones don’t get eaten ...

Bill Valentine watched from the bank, his Spey rod strung, line taut as a bowstring. Matthew Mendes, our 20-year-old guide, pointed me to the next run, 10 steps farther.