Deschutes Basin River News

• Feb 27, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Poll shows support for dam removal

  Those living closest to Mirror Pond overwhelmingly support removing the Newport Avenue Dam and allowing the Deschutes River to return to its natural state, according to an online survey by the Old Bend Neighborhood Association.

• Feb 26, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Editorial: Mirror Pond is new ‘natural’ for Deschutes River in Bend

  The consideration of removing the Newport Avenue Dam and losing Mirror Pond, Bend’s beautiful icon, is unbelievable.

• Feb 22, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Hydrologists discuss Mirror Pond

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  Hydrologists discuss Mirror Pond
  Experts suggest compromise plan to address silt buildup
  By Scott Hammers / The Bulletin
  Published: February 22. 2013 4:00AM PST
  
  Hydrology experts assembled by the City Club of Central Oregon said Thursday there’s no urgency to develop a plan to address silt buildup in Mirror Pond, and suggested an approach somewhere between attempting to maintain the historic pond and removing the Newport Avenue Dam could win broad community support.

• Feb 21, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Bend moves ahead with water plan

  The Bend City Council voted 4-3 Wednesday night to proceed with its existing plan for a water pipeline and intake facility at Bridge Creek, and re-examine the type of treatment facility it will use.

• Feb 16, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Deal eases Umatilla Basin water dispute

  The decades-long tug-of-war between farmers and environmentalists in Eastern Oregon’s Umatilla Basin eased Friday when they, along with tribal interests and government regulators, agreed to a “declaration of cooperation" on a handful of projects to increase irrigation water without hurting endangered salmon.

• Feb 14, 2013 - The Source Weekly - Council Will Proceed with Water Project

  A majority of the Bend City Council voted last week to proceed with the pipe portion of the city's $68 million surface water improvement project.

• Feb 14, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Editorial: Pick a future for Mirror Pond

  Engineering built Mirror Pond. Not nature. And now, Bend is trying to decide the pond’s future.

• Feb 14, 2013 - The Source Weekly - Editorial: Dammed Thinking

  While sitting inside a Bend Park & Recreation District meeting room last Wednesday, I was immediately thankful that I didn't have Jim Figurski's job.

• Feb 13, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Second pond meet talks free flow

  A crowd of 30 to 40 made the case Tuesday night for knocking down the Newport Avenue dam and letting the Deschutes River flow at a meeting concerning the future of Mirror Pond.

• Feb 13, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Mirror Pond, “crown jewel of Bend"

  Around 30 Bend residents turned out Wednesday night to weigh in on the future of Mirror Pond at the first of two public meetings hosted by the Mirror Pond Steering Committee.

• Feb 13, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Editorial: More water is good for the economy

  Although state Rep. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, hasn’t rushed to reintroduce a measure that would allow more water to be taken from the Columbia River, it’s not because he’s given up on the idea, but because it’s included in the governor’s budget.

• Feb 10, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Salmon carcasses set to be recycled as nutrients for streams

  An Oregon marine program is being billed as “stream enrichment," but it’s a lot smellier than it sounds.

• Feb 09, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Editorial: Bend has listened on the water project

  The burden for the Bend City Council on the Bridge Creek pipeline project is that even as members of the council and city staff have been studying the issue for years, they are constantly told they don’t understand it and are ramming an unwanted, untenable project through without enough public input.

• Feb 08, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - New Mirror Pond attraction could be Bend’s gold mine

  The city of Bend looks at the silting of Mirror Pond as a major problem. Bend needs to turn this around and discuss how it might be a gold mine. At some time in the near future, you will have to dredge the pond, as it is too valuable to not dredge or eliminate it.

• Feb 07, 2013 - The Source Weekly - Editorial: The Deschutes River in Bend

  The high desert of Central Oregon is a special region, blessed with abundant summer sunshine and a moderate climate.

• Feb 06, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - No spring chinook season on Deschutes

  Fisheries managers have announced that the popular spring chinook fishery on the Deschutes River will not open in 2013.

• Feb 03, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Improvement project is right path for Bend water issues

  Now that we have a new mayor and council, opponents to the Surface Water Improvement Project (SWIP) will again express their opinions to stop the project. While I support opponents’ right to express opinions, the public deserves to know the facts and potential unintended consequences if SWIP is terminated.

• Feb 03, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - One snowy week boosts snowpack

  A snow dump in the last week of January in the Cascades helped boost Central Oregon snowpack numbers back above normal for this time of year.

• Jan 21, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Snowpack, once flush, shrinking

  Sunny days in Central Oregon are shrinking the mountain snowpack.

• Jan 11, 2013 - Bend Bulletin - Deschutes steelheads ESA exempt

  A new federal designation for reintroduced steelhead upstream of Lake Billy Chinook comes as a relief to Central Oregon water users.