The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council develops and implements restoration projects that meet the priorities of locally-developed Watershed Assessments and Watershed Restoration Strategies (see Technical Resources). Our projects share a common goal of restoring the critical physical and biological conditions required to support clean water, healthy aquatic ecosystems and strong fish and wildlife populations.
Over the next five to ten years, we are focusing the majority of our habitat restoration efforts in the Whychus and Metolius River watersheds to help support the reintroduction of salmon and steelhead that is beginning in 2008. Our habitat restoration projects complement the efforts of other conservation partners such as the Deschutes Basin Land Trust, Deschutes River Conservancy, Oregon Department of Fish and WIldlife, Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation. Click here to download a comprehensive overview of this restoration effort.
Restoration priorities in these target watersheds include:
Whychus Creek:
- Restore a more natural hydrograph (i.e., increased summer streamflow);
- Provide fish passage and screening at dams and/or diversions; and
- Protect and restore a healthy stream corridor (including protection and/or restoration of wetlands, in-stream habitat, riparian and floodplain areas).
Metolius River:
- Provide fish passage and screening at dams and/or diversions, primarily on tributaries;
- Protect and restore a healthy stream corridor (including protection and/or restoration of wetlands, in-stream habitat, riparian and floodplain areas); and
- Reduce summer water temperature on Lake Creek.
While much of our energy is focused in Whychus Creek and the Metolius River, we also have restoration goals in the other watersheds of the Upper Deschutes subbasin. These include:
Tumalo Creek:
- Restore streamflow and water quality below the irrigation diversion; and
- Restore habitat in the area burned by the Bridge Creek fire.
City of Bend Area (Deschutes River):
- Protect and restore a healthy stream corridor (including protection and/or restoration of wetlands, in-stream habitat, riparian and floodplain areas);
- Manage stormwater to reduce pollutant inputs into the Deschutes River; and
- Restore fish passage at the existing dams.
Upper Deshcutes River (Upstream of City of Bend):
- Restore a more natural hydrograph (i.e., increased winter streamflow and decreased summer streamflow); and
- Protect and restore a healthy stream corridor, (including protection and/or restoration of wetlands, in-stream habitat, riparian and floodplain areas).
Middle Deschutes River (Downstream of City of Bend):
- Restore a more natural hydrograph (i.e., increased summer streamflow)
Little Deschutes River:
- Restore a more natural hydrograph (i.e., increased winter streamflow and decreased summer streamflow); and
- Protect and restore a healthy stream corridor (including protection and/or restoration of wetlands, in-stream habitat, riparian and floodplain areas).
Additional information about watershed conditions can be found in the documents provided on the Technical Resources.