Gov. Kotek Directs DEQ to Address Deschutes River Water Quality
Six Conservation Groups Join DRA in Letters to Kotek
Breaking news: in the March 5th edition of Willamette Week, reporter Nigel Jaquiss revealed Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s office has directed the Department of Environmental Quality to address water quality issues on the lower Deschutes River.
In a February 6th letter addressed to DEQ Director Leah Feldon, Gov. Kotek’s Senior Natural Resource Policy Advisor, Geoff Huntington, strongly recommended DEQ prioritize water quality work on the Deschutes. “With this growing need to ensure the resilience of key waters and the species they support,” Huntington wrote, “we are asking the Department for a renewed examination of all available options for meeting Deschutes water quality standards and the Pelton Round Butte fish passage objectives.”
The timing of the letter from Gov. Kotek’s office preceeded a February 21st letter to the Environmental Quality Commission from Trout Unlimited, expressing concern over fish returns that have been “an order of magnitude or more” lower than PGE and the Warm Springs Tribe hoped and that, in addition to the measures of water quality, a pathogen, Ceratonova shasta, deadly to spring Chinook has been found above safe levels.
Watch DRA Executive Director Sarah Cloud’s message about the good news out of Gov. Kotek’s office.
Following TU, in a Feb. 25 letter, the Center for Biological Diversity, Native Fish Society, Northwest Steelheaders, Sierra Club of Oregon, the Wild Steelhead Coalition and the DRA sent a co-signed letter urging Kotek to press DEQ to do something about the deteriorating conditions of the Deschutes.“It is imperative that new, permanent section 401 water quality certifications be developed for the Pelton Round Butte Project,“ the six groups stated in their letter.
DEQ’s Prompt Response
A March 4th letter from DEQ Director Leah Feldon to Gov. Kotek’s office outlined steps DEQ is taking to re-evaluate the 401 Water Quality Certification, as well as the related Water Quality Management and Monitoring Plan, stating that this work should be completed by fall of 2025, and that the Deschutes River is “near the top of its to-do list.”
DRA Executive Director Sarah Cloud: “This is a big step.”
The recognition from the Governor’s office that the Deschutes River has some problems that need prompt attention was the culmination of thousands of hours of work on the part of DRA staff, board members and volunteers. “Thank you to our supporters ,” said Cloud. “To every person who contacted the Governor's office, attended a DRA event or made a donation to the DRA made this happen. This is a big step towards bringing cooler, cleaner water to the lower Deschutes. We have momentum and together we will get the job done.”
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