In the Media

In Bend, we are blessed with an abundant supply of some of the finest drinking water in the United States. Our water comes from two sources: yearly, about half from groundwater, pumped to the surface with wells; and about half from Bridge Creek, originating from springs high up in the Cascades.

Bend will need more clean water. Where should it come from? The city has looked at options — upgrading piping, adding treatment and hydropower to its facility at Bridge Creek or drilling more wells. The city picked Bridge Creek.

Bend Business Advocate Jon Skidmore has the wrong job title. It should be business advocate/lobbyist to get breweries to be Bridge Creek friendly.

A recent phone call from Bend City Manager Eric King to the head of the Deschutes River Conservancy to talk about the city's Bridge Creek water project has raised the suspicions of some of the project's critics.

The Deschutes River Conservancy regularly serves as a resource for regional groups seeking to learn from the successes of the collaborative restoration model in the Deschutes Basin. Recently, the DRC hosted tours for two delegations from Colorado and Arizona who were interested in seeing how agricultural and environmental interests can work together to solve long-term water needs.

Did you know there are organizations similar to the DRC throughout the Northwest who are working collaboratively in their communities to restore streamflow in tributary streams and rivers of the Columbia Basin?

Earlier this month the city of Bend asked local brewers, including Deschutes, Boneyard and 10 Barrel, to support the city’s controversial $68.2 million overhaul of its Bridge Creek water system.

Several years ago, my husband and I spent a long weekend fly-fishing in southeastern Oregon. For three solid days, we flogged three different rivers.

The city of Bend seems so deeply dug in defending its $69 million Bridge Creek water project that it’s unwilling to peek out from behind the bunkers.