{"id":13914,"date":"2021-02-23T19:19:14","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T19:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildsalmoncenter.org\/?post_type=campaigns&p=13914"},"modified":"2025-10-11T18:52:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T18:52:15","slug":"oregon-water-initiative","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wildsalmoncenter.org\/projects\/oregon-water-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon Water Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Oregon\u2019s 19th century water rights system long prioritized water withdrawals over the value of flowing rivers. With many streams now running dry, reforms are critical for salmon. <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The water that feeds Oregon\u2019s creeks, streams, and rivers is one of the state\u2019s most precious assets, sustaining towns and industries, fish and wildlife. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This resource must have felt inexhaustible to the settlers who arrived in the mid-1800s. These settlers allocated water rights on a first-come, first-served basis<\/strong><\/span>, creating a system<\/strong> that is still largely in place today<\/strong>. Under Oregon\u2019s \u201cprior appropriation\u201d system, senior users<\/span>\u2014<\/span>those with the oldest water rights<\/span>\u2014can <\/span>divert water to suit their needs without considering more junior users, or even the rivers and species that rely on them. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oregon’s water rights system was built for a different time<\/strong>. Today’s challenges need 21st century solutions that reflect the needs of ALL water users<\/span>. <\/span>Wild Salmon Center\u2019s Oregon Water Initiative was launched in 2020 to focus on adapting this system for a changing world, while addressing the growing threats to Oregon\u2019s streams and the salmon strongholds they support. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Streamflow and Wild Salmon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Trail Creek, a tributary of the upper Rogue River, is one of many Western Oregon streams that dry out in summer, thanks to overallocated water rights. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Did you know? In most Oregon streams, allocated water rights far exceed natural water flow<\/b>. This imbalance is particularly acute in warmer months, when water demand peaks and stream flows are lowest<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From summer through fall, many Oregon streams run low\u2014even dry\u2014right as juvenile salmon seek cold water refuge and adults return to their home waters to spawn. Science has shown that low streamflow is one of the biggest barriers to recovering some of Oregon\u2019s most vulnerable salmon runs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate change is further testing this outdated system<\/strong>. Across Oregon, summers are trending hotter and drier, while winter precipitation is more likely to fall as rain instead of snow. Even the soggy watersheds of the western Cascades face critical water shortages in drought years, which now occur with far greater frequency and intensity than at the advent of Oregon\u2019s water rights system.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solutions for ALL Water Users<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Wild Salmon Center\u2019s Oregon Water Initiative is focused on improving Oregon\u2019s water rights system and<\/strong> finding solutions that make sense for all water users\u2014especially the state\u2019s prized wild salmon<\/strong>. This work is critical, <\/span>given the accelerating impacts of climate change on vulnerable salmon runs and the water needs of communities.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WSC\u2019s Oregon Water Initiative aims to:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Work with legislators to enhance streamflow protections under Oregon law
<\/span>– Expand options for water users to improve water conservation and restore streamflow
<\/span>– Increase funding and capacity of the state agencies stewarding Oregon\u2019s water resources
<\/span>– Facilitate measurement and reporting of water withdrawals from priority salmon streams
<\/span>– Support research and monitoring that advances understanding of the water needs of Oregon salmonids
<\/span>– Partner with local groups to advocate for and implement streamflow restoration priorities
<\/span>– Elevate conservation and recreation voices in state and regional water use conversations
<\/span>– Support recognition of Tribal water rights and issuance of new instream water rights
<\/span>– Create space for historically underserved and underrepresented groups to engage in water planning processes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Oregon Water Initiative builds on Wild Salmon Center\u2019s decades-long campaigns to protect and restore Oregon\u2019s salmon strongholds<\/a>, working to ensure that these world-class streams flow cold and deep for generations to come. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interested in learning more<\/strong>? <\/span>Contact Wild Salmon Center Water Policy Program Manager Caylin Barter<\/a>. (Read more about Caylin here<\/a>.<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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