Columbia Insight Article Deconstructs Thermal Trading
After freezing weather forced a delay in January, WaterWatch expects to go to trial later this year to challenge the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)'s approval of a thermal trading plan on the Willamette River in which vast quantities of water would be siphoned west, resulting in warmer temperatures for fish and other aquatic species as the Willamette heads downriver to Portland. Columbia Insight posted an excellent article on thermal trading last week, featuring quotes from WaterWatch's Brian Posewitz.

State Unveils Updated Groundwater Allocation Rules
In a critical step towards more sustainable groundwater allocation, we're pleased the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) has announced revised groundwater allocation rules that now enter into a public comment period, with the first public hearing April 4th in Bend. With permits to now be issued provided "groundwater is reasonably stable, does not interfere with surface water flows and the aquifer can produce the water at the requested amount," we'll cover these updates further in action alerts and in the spring edition of Instream.

OPB Notes High Levels of Fecal Bacteria in Powder River
After years of concern about the volume of E. coli and other toxins in the Powder River basin due to agricultural runoff, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is crafting a Total Maximum Daily Load (TDML) to determine the amount of pollutants the river can handle. OPB quoted WaterWatch's Brian Posewitz in their story on the Powder this week. "These rivers belong to everybody," said Brian, "and they should be protected for everybody, not just agricultural interests." Public comment was recently extended through March 22nd.

Water Bills Largely Absent from Short Legislative Session
Oregon's short 35-day legislative session for 2024 drew to a close on Thursday evening, and other than budget-related water matters was marked by an unusual absence of water bills. WaterWatch will provide a full legislative review in the spring edition of our Instream newsletter, but are happy to report that all the bad water proposals — including one item that would have upended a provision of existing law that directs the conversion of unused hydroelectric rights to instream water rights — were successfully stalled.

Celebrating Our WaterWatch Team on Int'l. Women's Day
International Women's Day offers an opportunity to celebrate all the women of Oregon working to conserve our state's rivers, forests, deserts, species and other special habitats, including the women of the staff and board of WaterWatch of Oregon, who include some of the most notable women working in water-related conservation causes in the state. There's a lot to be proud of with WaterWatch, and the extraordinary environmental commitment, institutional knowledge and legal expertise of the women on our team is one of them!

Full House for Amy Gulick Event at Clackamas REI
Thanks to everyone who joined WaterWatch on Tuesday for a fantastic evening with author and photographer Amy Gulick, as she discussed her book The Salmon Way at the Clackamas Town Center REI. At WaterWatch we're working to restore historic salmon runs in Oregon by protecting instream water rights, removing obsolete dams, and reforming groundwater pumping rules to preserve the connectivity between groundwater and streams. A huge thank you to Amy, and the Clackamas REI for hosting. Visit WaterWatch.com for photos.

Environmental Communicators Gather Ahead of PIELC
WaterWatch communications manager Tommy Hough shared his experiences on environmental and political campaigns, establishing narratives, plotting story trajectories and the importance of language on a panel with representatives from The Wilderness Society and Earthjustice at the Environmental Communicators Mini-Conference last Thursday in Eugene, part of the kickoff to the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) at the University of Oregon. Thanks to everyone who attended this fun, informative event.