River News - In The Media
OPB: Oregon leaders are trying to save the Deschutes River. Here’s why that’s so hard
By law, one irrigation district has rights to most of the water from the Deschutes, forcing farmers to fallow their land in times of scarcity. Oregon has pushed three main solutions to deliver water more efficiently and sustainably.
OPB: An Oregon law lets one wealthy region turn the desert green. When drought hits, farmers pay the price
In the high desert of Central Oregon, the Deschutes River is a lifeline for farmers and landowners — but a century-old water law entitles just a few thousand people to more than half of its volume.
KTVZ: Drought emergency declared in Oregon counties, 17 of 36 now affected
Governor Tina Kotek has declared a drought emergency for Douglas, Gilliam, Harney, Lake and Malheur counties in Oregon. This declaration brings the total number of Oregon counties under drought emergency status to 17 out of 36.
Capital Press: Environmental group sues to protect native Western ridged mussel
A federal lawsuit is pushing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to decide whether Western ridged mussels need Endangered Species Act protection. Native to Columbia Basin rivers, the mussels depend on healthy streamflows and native fish populations, connecting their fate directly to DRC's restoration work in the Deschutes Basin, a sub-basin of the Columbia.
Bend Bulletin: Modern irrigation system helps Three Sisters Irrigation weather severe drought
With snowpack at 7% of normal, Three Sisters Irrigation District is leaning on its modern pipe system to manage a critically short water year but officials say infrastructure improvements can't fully offset the drought.
