What you need to know about the Habitat Conservation Plan that will protect flows and improve habitat in the Basin over the next 30 years.
Read more about the Habitat Conservation PlanDeschutes River Conservancy and Central Oregon Irrigation District partners to reduce irrigation needs, improve efficiencies and restore Deschutes River flows.
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Planning for sustainable water management practices to support the river and other users into the future.
Find Out More About Basin Wide Planning
DRC's transfers program acquires and transfers water rights to be permanently protected instream.
Find out about Water Rights Transfers
Sharing water to meet the modern needs of rivers, cities, and farms.
Find Out More About Water Management
The Deschutes Basin is over-allocated. We work cooperatively in the basin to restore flows in local streams.
Find out about streamflow restoration
The DRC Groundwater Mitigation Bank creates temporary credits through instream leases.
Find out about Groundwater Mitigation
The streamflow challenges currently facing the Deschutes Basin trace back more than 100 years. Settlers put the Basin's water to work pursuing a successful future for local agriculture but not considering the environmental impact. Today we know far more about the need to protect ecosystems while supporting livelihoods. We're fortunate to be in a basin with enough water for all — provided it's properly managed. By rethinking and rebalancing how we use and share water, we can and will have enough water for fish, farms, and families.
Living in the high desert, we all rely on the Deschutes River and its tributaries. When we began restoring streamflow and improving water quality over 20 years ago, the landscape looked much different. Whychus Creek in Sisters ran dry in the summer, the Middle Deschutes, downstream from Bend had only 20% of the flow it has today, the Crooked River downstream from Smith Rock suffered from low flows and high stream temperatures.
Streamflow Restoration Accomplishments
*CFS = Peak protected flows May - September
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