Governor Announces Water as Priority for 2025 Session
An Oregon Capital Chronicle story detailed Gov. Tina Kotek's prioritization of water in this legislative session, including her support for a package of bills that give state agencies greater statutory authority to manage water allocations and regulations. With Oregon's rivers and streams overallocated statewide, and areas of groundwater decline on the rise, adding additional authority to the state's water management toolbox to help bring it into the 21st century is long overdue. We applaud the Governor for her efforts.

Bill Would Safeguard Streamflows in Water Right Transfers
An unintended regulatory loophole in Oregon's water transfer laws currently allows old water rights to serve new uses, move to new diversion points, or change a water right's place of use without environmental review, effectively nullifying Oregon's ability to protect instream values on hundreds of streams across the state. The Oregon Water Partnership, which WaterWatch is a member of, is seeking to close this loophole with Senate Bill 427, which would ensure water right transfers don't diminish streamflows.

Bill Would Ban New Large CAFOs in Polluted Areas
WaterWatch recently signed on in support of a coalition of groups backing Senate Bill 80, which would stop the permitting of new large confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Oregon's three groundwater management areas with high levels of nitrate pollution, including the lower Umatilla Basin, northern Malheur County, and southern Willamette Valley. WaterWatch was also instrumental in the passage of Senate Bill 85 in 2023, which included stricter water use requirements for CAFOs.

Good News Continues for Rogue Barrier Removals
The WaterWatch-led Pomeroy Dam removal project in the Illinois River subbasin on the Rogue continues into 2025 with improvements to on-ranch irrigation and local roads designed to eliminate barriers to native migratory fish. Meanwhile, WaterWatch's record-setting Free the Rogue campaign, intended to bolster imperiled populations of salmon and steelhead against the impacts of climate change by speeding up the removal of obsolete fish barriers, won mention in The Cool Down and on MSN.

"Water Flowing Abundantly from the Pacific Northwest"
Shortly after his inauguration, President Trump directed the Interior Department to "route more water" to Southern California, and later claimed the U.S. military "entered" California and "turned on the water flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest." This claim was refuted by California water officials, as there is no magic faucet or pipeline that moves water from the Pacific Northwest to California. WaterWatch will continue to advocate against any efforts to transfer Oregon's waters out of state.

TV Host Incorrectly Links Klamath Dam Removals to Fires
As reported in Native News Online, a Fox News host incorrectly asserted a connection between the incredible restoration effort that culminated in the removal of the four lower Klamath River dams last year, and water to fight wildfires in Southern California. The Klamath River and Los Angeles County are some 700 miles apart and are not connected water systems. Removal of obsolete barriers to fish passage remains a major river restoration tool, and is a program priority for WaterWatch of Oregon.

Registration Open for Daniel Coe Event at Filson Feb. 25th
We've mentioned cartographer Daniel Coe and his use of LiDAR imagery in mapping river systems as part of showcasing his Rogue River photo on the cover of our fall Instream newsletter, and you're invited to join us for an evening with Daniel at the Portland Filson store at 526 NW 13th Ave. on Tuesday, Feb. 25th, beginning at 6 p.m. Daniel will present additional river graphics from Oregon and around the world, and share stories about his most distinctive maps. Register now at our Eventbrite page.