The Mirror Pond Fish Passage Advisory Committee, charged with recommending a preferred fish passage solution at the Newport Dam facility, is temporarily suspending its meeting schedule while the Bend Parks and Recreation District secures funding to contract an engineering firm and conduct a high-level analysis of fish passage options at this site. The Advisory Committee, which will use the technical information provided by the engineer to select a preferred fish passage option, will continue with public meetings once funding and a contractor are in hand.
Background
Conditions for collaboration between The City of Bend (the City) and the Bend Parks and Recreation District (BPRD) to contribute to the preservation of Mirror Pond are outlined in the Mirror Pond Community Vision and the City and BPRD Resolution 3165 and 430. As a result, the Mirror Pond Fish Passage Advisory Committee was convened to identify a preferred fish passage option at the Newport Dam facility. The Advisory Committee is solely focused on Enabling Fish Passage, which is goal four out of the seven goals outlined in The Mirror Pond Community Vision. To accomplish this goal, BPRD and the City requested that the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) convene and facilitate the Advisory Committee.
Process
COIC convened the Advisory Committee in May 2021. Public meetings have been held monthly and made available to the public via Zoom. To-date, the Advisory Committee has:
- Identified committee members’ interests and values
- Fielded input from technical experts on three common fish passage methods (fish ladder, nature-like fish byway, rock ramp),
- Viewed site-logistics and limitations via a field trip to the Newport Dam facility and the North Canal fish ladder
- Developed a list of criteria against which to assess each fish passage option, and
- Solicited and heard public input
In order for the Advisory Committee to weigh potential fish passage options against their established criteria, they are seeking technical input from an engineer. The City and BPRD agreed that this is an important step, thus the Advisory Committee’s meeting schedule is temporarily on hold while BPRD works to secure funding to contract with an engineering firm for this purpose.
Next Steps
The Advisory Committee is drafting and submitting a formal letter to Pacific Power requesting financial support from the power company to fund the technical report requested by the Advisory Committee. Meanwhile, BPRD is working to secure funding and procure an engineer to provide technical input to the Advisory Committee.
Once the engineer is available, the Advisory Committee will convene to assist in outlining their scope of work. When the engineer’s report is in-hand, the Advisory Committee will convene again to discuss findings with the engineer and work together to make a fish passage recommendation.
Additional Information
For access to past meeting materials and additional information and resources, visit coic.org/natural-resources-environment/mirrorpond. The COIC Natural Resources Program Administrator, Vernita Ediger, is available to respond to questions or comments at 541-255-7525. Phone calls are preferable to ensure timely responses.
