Saving Whychus Creek a drop at a time

Once upon a time - known by another name - Whychus Creek was a pristine stream running clear and unfettered. Seasonal flooding built riparian habitat, and fish spawned freely well upstream from present day Sisters. Then came the settlers and Western water law.

The concept behind Western water law was simple: The only legitimate use of water is for human use, and if there is a drop left in a stream, someone isn't doing their job. This was the prevailing line of thought for nearly 100 years, and the cost to Whychus Creek was heavy.

The creek was effectively dead, even becoming a seasonal creek until a few years ago. Then, an unlikely alliance of government agencies, environmentalists and outdoors sportsmen began the project to restore Whychus Creek.

Micheal Riehle, District Fisheries Biologist for the Sisters Ranger District, has set an ambitious goal for Whychus Creek. He states that Whychus Creek once supported steelhead and spring chinook runs through the City of Sisters, and he is determined to see it again. Riehle believes that restoring the creek so that steelhead and spring chinook will once again return to the stream in Sisters is viable.

He is not content to have this happen in time for his children to enjoy; his goal is to have this take place within five years.

The Deschutes River Conservancy, the Oregon Water Trust, Deschutes County, the Oregon Water Resources Department and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council have joined together as partners in the project, providing funds to purchase water rights to divert water back into Whychus Creek and have enjoyed great success.

The City of Sisters finalized their purchase last week of 230.98 acres of the Lazy Z Ranch at the east edge of Sisters for wastewater effluent disposal. There are substantial water rights transfered with this purchase, and city manager Eileen Stein has stated that the city is entertaining the possibility of returning some of the water rights to Whychus Creek, after determining the projected city needs.

The real key to the plan to restore Whychus Creek is the water, and thus enters Marc Thalacker onto the scene. Thalacker is the manager of the Three Sisters Irrigation District (TSID). He was determined that a situation similar to what happened in the Klamath River Basin would not evolve here. Battles are still being fought in the Klamath River Basin over water once it became clear that there was not enough water available to satisfy the needs of both the area farmers and the stream for the protection of endangered fish.

In the Klamath River Basin, the farmers were the losers; in the drought of 2001, their crops withered in the fields while water was diverted to the streams to protect the fish. The whole situation degenerated into legal skirmishes with no real resolution. According to Thalacker, the real problem is that after that kind of a situation it is almost impossible to restore any trust and get anything accomplished.

Although Thalacker inherited a potentially explosive situation when he came to the TSID in 1997, he had lived in the district since 1988 and was familiar with the needs, the people and above all was committed to peaceful resolution.

Thus began Thalacker's campaign to protect the irrigation water for the farmers and Whychus Creek for future generations. A key tool in his arsenal was Oregon's instream flow law of 1987. This law allowed water districts to finance irrigation improvement projects with public money and then permanently dedicate the water conserved back instream.

Thalacker realized that there was enough water for everyone, since less than 50 percent of the water that was being diverted from Whychus Creek for irrigation was actually reaching the farmers. The efficiency of irrigation canals cut through the porous volcanic rock was dismal; over half the water was being lost to evaporation and through seepage.

Projects were initiated that would place the water in pipes instead of canals, raising the efficiency from less than 50 percent to just short of 100 percent. Thus far, 20 miles of canals have been converted to pipe, and much of the water that has been saved has been returned to Whychus Creek. The district now takes 30 percent less water from Whychus Creek than it did historically but actually delivers more water to farmers.

The efforts of this broad coalition are beginning to change the face of Whychus Creek. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates that a 20 cubic-feet per second target flow is necessary to support the return of salmon and trout. Thalacker said with confidence, "We will reach that 20."