Restoring Flows Since the early 1900s, Whychus Creek ran dry in two out of every three years due to irrigation diversions. Through a combination of water conservation (i.e. piping) and both permanent and temporary water transfers, the creek is now...
Project Updates
McKay Creek flows 37 miles from its headwaters in the Ochoco National Forest through private agricultural lands and joins the Crooked River just northwest of the City of Prineville in Crook County. Due in part to irrigation diversions, streamflows are...
Artwork by Susan Luckey Higdon The state of Oregon has released its 2017 Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS). The purpose of the strategy is to “bring various sectors and interests together to work toward the common purpose of maintaining healthy...
The DRC is partnering with Swalley Irrigation District to pipe its Rogers Canal, which will restore and permanently protect 2.3 cubic feet per second (or more than 1032 gallons per minute) of flow in the Middle Deschutes River during the...
For the past three years the DRC has monitored streamflow on McKay Creek to develop a baseline before implementing its McKay Creek Water Rights Switch project. Developing a solid baseline now will allow the DRC to compare pre and post...
A confluence of forces in our basin today is shaping a bright future for our beloved Deschutes River. To me, the river is not only a fabulous recreational attraction but a spring-fed ecological marvel. Since arriving at the DRC thirteen...
We are here because we love the Deschutes River. Our local rivers give life to an otherwise arid, high desert climate. No matter who we are, we are all connected to the river, and therefore, to each other. ...
Up to 90% of the water used in Central Oregon supports local agriculture. Much of the irrigation system was developed more than 100 years ago with technology that's now outdated. Today, the DRC works closely with local irrigation districts and...