Warm Springs Tribes settle water rights

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (AP) -- The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have reached a settlement with the state over rights to water from the Deschutes River basin, including the Metolius River.

The deal balances development and irrigation with preserving flows for fish.

It also ends an era of uncertainty about the scope of the Warm Springs' water rights, which date from the tribes' 1855 treaty with the U.S. government and have priority over all later development in the basin.

The tribes, the state and the federal government have worked toward this agreement for more than a decade.

The tribes' desire not to interfere with existing water rights and the basin's unique hydrology helped make the agreement possible, said Martha Pagel, director of the Oregon Department of Water Resources.

"The key outcome is certainty for all water users in the basin," she said.

The tribes also wanted to protect fish and the aquatic ecosystem, said Deepak Sehgal, Warm Springs water and soil manager.

The agreement sets out minimum flows for the Deschutes and Metolius rivers, a level the tribe believes is the minimum needed to sustain fish runs.

Current water users, including the cities of Bend and Maupin, said they think the agreement will not affect their water use.

The agreement helps rafters and fishermen by providing a guaranteed flow, said Bob Main, regional manager for the state water resources department.