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| Why is this important? What are the key issues? |
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Oregon is blessed with an abundance of rivers. They are home to fish and wildlife, connect our mountains with the sea, irrigate our crops, supply our power, serve as highways for the transport of commodities, provide drinking water, and provide recreational opportunities for Oregonians and visitors. Three of our rivers – the Columbia, Willamette and Klamath – deserve special attention because the competing demands of hydropower generation, irrigation, fish conservation and industrial uses have overtaxed these river systems.
The Columbia River once produced 12 to 15 million wild salmon and steelhead trout that sustained native people and provided a major economic sector for our state in its early days. The construction of several dams on the main stem of the Columbia River, the lower Snake River and on other tributaries, along with loss of spawning habitat, over-harvest and poor ocean conditions has resulted in such loss of fish populations that most salmon and steelhead in the Columbia system are now listed on the federal endangered species list.
The Willamette River Basin is home to 70% of our state’s population and 75% of our state’s economic activity. Historically it has been dammed, channeled, armored and polluted, which has resulted in the listing of several salmon populations as threatened or endangered under the federal and/or state Endangered Species Acts and over 1400 miles of the basin's streams that do not meet water quality standards.
The Klamath River Basin spans portions of both Oregon and California. The basin and its wildlife refuges are an essential part of the Pacific Flyway with peak annual concentrations of over one million migratory birds. The basin historically supported salmon and sucker fish stocks that were an essential food source for several tribes. With the construction of four dams along the Klamath River and the increase of agriculture, logging and ranching in the basin, the basin’s hydrology has been altered and the competing demands for both instream and irrigation water has made it difficult to sustain both thriving fish populations and the agricultural sectors.
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| My Strategies |
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The Columbia River Basin
- Oregon has been a participant since 2005 in litigation over the biological opinion for the operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS). Oregon continues to negotiate with the federal government for reduced mortality to fish from hydro system operations while working to develop long-term recovery plans for the fish. Current discussions could eventually lead to a four-state agreement with the federal government for management of the FCRPs.
- Recovery planning in the Columbia will require addressing all of the factors for the decline of the fish, including the hydro system as well as harvest, hatchery operations, and habitat modification and water quality. Oregon is working with the federal government and other states on the development and implementation of formal recovery plans for all listed fish in the basin.
The Willamette River Basin
- Repair: The Departments of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Agriculture (ODA) and Forestry (ODF) are leading the repair of damage caused by pollution, focusing on the legacy of point source pollution from past industrial and municipal discharges, and non point source runoff from cities, farms and forests, which adversely affect water quality today. Additionally, DEQ is working aggressively to set total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for a wide array of pollutants to guide us in setting water quality standards in the future.
- Restore: The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) are working with watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts and non governmental organizations (NGOs) to restore fish and wildlife habitats in the basin with a focus on riparian areas, wetlands and floodplains, prairie and oak woodland areas and instream flow.
- Recreate: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), working with partners including Cycle Oregon, Mid Willamette River Connections, local governments and others is focusing on increasing and improving recreational opportunities throughout the basin. This includes development of the first ever Oregon Scenic Bikeway: Willamette Greenway, the Willamette River Water Trail, and expansion of park facilities along the river.
Click here to read a summary of the Willamette River Legacy Program, and click here to read the Governor's complete blueprint for restoring and enjoying a healthy Willamette River Basin.
The Klamath River Basin
- The Governor’s Office is leading a multi-jurisdictional team of governmental personnel from Oregon, California and the federal government to increase funding and create a vision for short term riparian and water improvements in the basin as well as long term solutions to the competing water demands.
- The Governor’s Office is participating in settlement negotiations over the four dams on the river. Settlement could lead to some or all of the dams being removed or modified to benefit fish and more closely return the river to its historical hydrology.
- The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) is working to complete the water right adjudication for the Klamath River, which will enable OWRD to regulate water use in the basin – an important tool in times of drought.
- The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) are working with federal agencies, watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, and non governmental organizations (NGOs) to restore significant fish and wildlife habitats in the basin with a focus on riparian areas.
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