DEQ Kicks Water Quality Down the River

For the past year, the Deschutes River Alliance has closely monitored the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) rulemaking process regarding aquatic life. As a member of the rules advisory committee, DRA advocated for strict water quality standards for the lower Deschutes River, as well as for all of Oregon’s bodies of water. The proposed rules were to be released today to begin the public comment period, but yet again DEQ has delayed the process. This delay means that inadequate water quality in the lower Deschutes River may continue without any consequences.

Last fall the Environmental Quality Commission (EQC), voted to not formally hear our petition on inadequate dissolved oxygen levels in the lower Deschutes River. They decide instead to delay action until water quality standards are updated via this rulemaking process.

In April, the EQC hosted a long discussion on the status of water quality and fisheries conditions in the Deschutes River Basin. Again, they delayed action until after the water quality standards are updated.

As a committee member, DRA received a vague email last week informing us that “Based on recent input from the U.S. EPA and Oregon DOJ on our proposed rule language for identifying presumed resident trout spawning areas, DEQ will need to revise the original proposal as presented to the RAC for designating resident trout spawning.” In the same email they informed the committee that we will be meeting sometime in mid-December delaying the process of releasing the rules to the public. It is also highly unlikely that they will now meet the goal of the EQC approving the rules in March 2023.

This rulemaking process, which DEQ previously stated was already to have been completed by mid-2020, then mid-2023 may take more than a year to finish – pushing the updates into 2024. DEQ’s and EQC’s inaction ensures at least another year of biologically inadequate oxygen levels for spawning and incubating redband trout, with no guarantee that it won’t extend multiple more years.

Please stay tuned for more on this process.  Based on the draft rules shared with the advisory committee, DRA identified several key points that need correcting.  This delay could be addressing one or more of those issues. Vigilance is important during this process. We cannot allow DEQ to relax water quality standards in the state of Oregon.

Our work towards a cleaner lower Deschutes River

Deschutes River Alliance: Cooler, cleaner H2O for the lower Deschutes River. 

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