Water Management Planning & Monitoring

The DRC’s Water Management Planning Program designs the next generation of water management projects to help stakeholders in the Deschutes Basin resolve long-standing water management issues.

As a part of our program, the DRC is participating in a $1.5 million process called the Upper Deschutes Basin Study, in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation and the State of Oregon, that will provide a roadmap to meet water needs for rivers, agriculture and communities for the next 50 years. It includes a climate change analysis to ensure that we are planning for future conditions. The study builds on previous planning work in the basin, including the Deschutes Water Planning Initiative, and is expected to be complete in 201 8.

The Study encompasses the ​Upper Deschutes, Whychus, and Crooked sub-basins, and it’s particularly focused on finding solutions to restore flows in the Upper Deschutes River, the largest and most complex restoration need in the basin. The DRC and our partners expect that the Study will provide the information needed to develop a long-term water management agreement that reaches flow goals and ensures healthy rivers into the future.