An Outstanding Water Resource
Metolius River at Wizard Falls. Photo courtesy of Joel and Jennifer LaFollette
Sparkling cold clear water
It’s 29 miles long, flows at a remarkably stable average of 1,460 cubic feet per second, and a miraculously chilly 48 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. It’s as much a prodigious spring as a cascading river. Its name is taken from the Warm Springs Sahaptin language word for “white salmon,” hinting at its hydrological and geomorphically related cousin river that flows from the flanks of Mt. Adams, 200 miles north. It’s full of healthy trout that tend to regard the artifice of an insect presented via even the stealthiest cast the way a teenager looks at a plate of reheated leftovers.
It’s the Metolius River. Among its many unique attributes, it is key to the future of the lower Deschutes River. Recently the DRA offered support to Friends of the Metolius in its efforts to convince the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to provide additional protection to the cool, clean water of the Metolius.
Quick review: Round Butte Dam blocks three rivers, the Crooked, the Deschutes, and the Metolius. The first two in this trio have trouble meeting state water quality standards. The Crooked in particular is the source of the nutrient overload plaguing Lake Billy Chinook, and subsequently, the lower Deschutes River. The Metolius, by contrast, is some of the cleanest water anywhere. Prior to operation of the Portland General Electric’s Selective Water Withdrawal Tower, The Metolius was also the source of the lion’s share of water in the lower Deschutes. Its cold water would sink to the bottom of the forebay in Lake Billy Chinook. Releases from the outlet works at the base of Round Butte dam then created some of the healthiest water of any river in Oregon, as well as one of the greatest tailwater fisheries anywhere. A return to some semblance of this sensible water management regime is what the DRA continues to fight for.
The Lower Deschutes Needs a Healthy Metolius
The effort to provide the next level of protection for the Metolius has been spearheaded by Friends of the Metolius, with help from the Northwest Environmental Defense Center. The cooperative effort takes advantage of a program through the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality aimed at protecting existing healthy waterways, dubbed “Outstanding Resource Waters.” In an email to the DRA, former DRA staffer Jonah Sandford, now of NEDC, explained how the Metolius would benefit from ORW designation: “Ultimately, the ORW designation would prohibit any new NPDES -permitted discharges, [National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, a federally-sponsored effort to reduce water pollution] and go a long way toward maintaining the high quality of Metolius waters, with obvious benefits to the river's native fish and other aquatic life, and to the local economies that depend on the river's precious coldwater habitat.”
DRA’s support for this effort comes in the form of a letter of support for the effort. “In addition to our support in the joint letter the DRA wants to specifically highlight the downstream benefits of the Metolius River,” the letter states. “Among Lake Billy Chinook’s three major tributaries, the Metolius provides the coldest and highest-quality water. It also provides the main source of the vital, cold-water discharges into the lower Deschutes River. Protecting the Metolius from future degradation will ensure that these two already-impaired water bodies can continue relying on these crucial clean waters for generations to come.”
Troutfest is Coming this Weekend!
Quick reminder: Troutfest is happening this Friday and Saturday at the Oasis campground in Maupin. Stop by to take part in the fun, and while you’re having fun, do your part to ensure a brighter future for the lower Deschutes River.
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Everyone wants clean, healthy water in the Deschutes River. Oregonians cherish our clean and healthy waterways to provide drinking water, wildlife habitat and recreational activities. The lower Deschutes River is a federally designated Wild & Scenic River, and a national treasure. It must be protected for the environmental and economic health of Central Oregon. We believe by working together we can return the lower Deschutes River to full health.
