What are some of the problems affecting the Deschutes Watershed?
The greatest new threat is Central Oregon’s explosive population growth. The population of Bend, the largest city in the area, grew by a staggering 154 percent in the 1990s alone. With this burgeoning growth has come an increasing demand for water. Water diversions in the Deschutes Basin have grown so large that entire sections of some rivers and streams run dry. Dams have further fragmented fish habitat and altered natural river cycles. Flows are often too low to meet the survival needs of fish and wildlife, and limit opportunities for boating and fishing. The basin’s fragile water resources are also under pressure to provide water for several proposed new power plants. These plants could suck up more than 8 million gallons of Central Oregon groundwater each day in order to generate electricity that will likely end up in California. Too many entities have claims. Because the surface waters of the basin have already been promised to too many interests, more and more people are turning
