(Nearly a quarter of the water in the Middle Deschutes is a result of Deschutes River Conservancy’s Instream Leasing Program, a program which received a boost in the recent legislative session | Photo courtesy of Deschutes River Conservancy)
Oregon’s 2023 legislative session resulted in a wide-ranging $142 million drought resilience and water security package that makes pivotal investments in water security for Oregon’s rivers and communities. This investment comes at a critical moment as extended and extreme drought conditions continue to challenge Central Oregon and the state.
Oregon State Representatives Ken Helm (D-27) and Mark Owens (R-60) led the development of a drought and water security package, which was passed by the House and the Senate and included key policies and investments.
The bipartisan legislative package aims to:
- Modernize Oregon’s critical irrigation infrastructure to better serve the families, farms, fish and wildlife that interact with our systems.
- Protect, enhance, and restore critical sources of drinking and other types of water systems that support local industries and ecosystems.
- Bolster water-related data more efficiently identify risks and coordinate water management.
The package directly benefits Central Oregon in the following ways:
- Invests $50M in grant funding for irrigation modernization statewide (HB 5030). These funds are critical for Central Oregon irrigation districts to match secured federal funding to pipe canals and restore conserved water instream.
- Directs $1.5M to the Deschutes River Conservancy to implement water measurement and conservation projects within Central Oregon irrigation districts (HB 5506).
- Improves the state’s instream leasing program by:
- Making split-season instream leasing a permanent program, allowing the flexibility to use a water right for irrigation during one portion of the year and leasing water instream during another period, benefiting both farms and rivers (HB 3164).
- Making instream leasing acceptable as “farm use” under the Exclusive Farm Use special assessment program, meaning that farmers who use the instream leasing program will not face negative tax implications (HB 2971).
Instream leasing is a flexible tool that contributes a quarter of the summer flows protected in the Middle Deschutes downstream from Bend. These policy improvements create more opportunities for water users to incorporate leasing as a tool into their irrigation practices. In exchange for leasing their water instream, the DRC compensates water users who qualify for the leasing program.
Statewide, the drought package also makes critical investments in:
- Water data necessary for sound management
- Fish screens and fish passage
- Balanced and systematic water planning
- Drought resiliency for agricultural producers
An overview the Drought Resilience and Water Security Package can be found at oregonlegislature.gov/helm/watercaucuslibrary/2023%20Drought%20Resilience%20and%20Water%20Security%20Package%20-%20Overview.pdf.
“The 2023 legislative session’s investments mark significant progress toward a more resilient water management system that benefits the Deschutes Basin and rivers across the state,” stated Kate Fitzpatrick, executive director of the Deschutes River Conservancy. “We extend our gratitude to the legislative leaders, the Governor’s Office, agency personnel, and all stakeholders who contributed to the success of this vital legislation. We are excited to further build on this achievement in the future.”
About the Deschutes River Conservancy:
The Deschutes River Conservancy (DRC) was formed in 1996 with a mission to restore streamflow and improve water quality in the Deschutes River Basin. The DRC has a multi-stakeholder board and, through collaborative efforts, has restored up to 350 CFS (equivalent to over 14 Olympic-sized swimming pools per hour) of flow in the basin with non-litigious, voluntary, and market-based programs.
