Ranch residents learn about water quality

Deschutes Resources Conservancy hopes to restore stream flow and improve water quality for a growing Deschutes Basin.

Scott McCaulou, project manager for DRC, met with the Friends of Black Butte Ranch on Thursday, February 13, to describe goals of his organization and how BBR might participate.

The Deschutes Basin is the second largest watershed in Oregon, according to McCaulou. The population of the region is exploding.

Deschutes County is projected to have a 99 percent growth rate from 1990 to 2010, with 76 percent and 42 percent growth rates for Jefferson and Crook Counties. Total basin population is 171,482 and increasing.

The DRC is primarily interested in water quality issues in the Deschutes Basin including stream flow, irrigation canals and river water quality. Current projects include water exchange programs, riparian restoration, grass bank and wetlands initiative. These projects are more fully discussed on the DRC website at www.deschutesrc.org.

Focusing on water flow in the middle Deschutes River, McCaulou pointed out that historic low flow was 30 cfs (cubic feet per second) and 48 cfs during summer 2001. The goal is to reach a flow of 250 cfs below Bend. This goal can be helped by cutting down on water losses through canal piping and lining irrigation ditches carrying water that are now open to evaporation and seepage.

Closer to BBR, McCaulou described Squaw Creek flows as 0 cfs for historic low, 1.81cfs during summer 2001 and the DRC goal of reaching a flow of 20 cfs.

BBR could increase water flow to nearby streambeds by diverting some existing above-groundwater sources to Indian Ford Creek and Squaw Creek.

This would be compensated for from groundwater supplies, possibly by a one- to two-year leasing program to gauge the effectiveness of such a program.

The DRC has initiated about two-dozen water projects since its start in 1995. The diverse organization is composed of environmentalists, farmers, scientists, local citizens and Warm Springs tribal representatives.

In other Friends of BBR news, Jack Barringer, forester and BBR resident, announced a volunteer program to plant 2,700 trees on 18 acres of BBR land west of the Ranch home boundary near McAllister Road. This area was burned in last summer's fire.

Barringer hopes to complete the planting program in the next two months.

During the meeting, Bob Hill turned over the Friends' program chair to Jean Nave. For information contact her at 595-2547.