This article was published on: 09/15/17 12:00 AM
Written by Eric Flowers
The perennially anemic winter flows in the upper Deschutes basin will get a boost this winter thanks to a decision by Central Oregon’s irrigators to release more water between November and March 2018, a period when river levels are typically at their lowest.
The Deschutes Basin Board of Control, which comprises all the local irrigation districts, voted in mid-November to ramp up releases below Wickiup Reservoir to at least 175 cubic feet per second (
“We could have sat on the 100
The decision is part of a larger effort by irrigators and interest groups to address the impacts of irrigation withdrawals on the upper Deschutes River, primarily the stretch between Wickiup Reservoir and the Fall River confluence where river flows are most depleted in winter.
The ramping back of releases to below
“They completely understand the dynamics and politics,” said Britton, “and if we can release a little more water to improve conditions, not just for the river, but also our public perception, they are all for it.”