Oregon’s stream gaging network was last evaluated in 1970 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Water management and scientific-related needs have changed significantly since 1970, including the recognition of instream water rights and implications of climate change on water resources. The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) has recently undertaken an evaluation...
Chiloquin Dam, located on the Sprague River in southern Oregon, was removed in August of 2008. The processing of the sediment stored behind the dam (composed primarily of sand and fines) and the resulting bedform changes have been examined using repeat cross section surveys, yearly bathymetric surveys, and surface sediment...
The Klamath Basin is rich in history, culture, and biological diversity. Upper Klamath Lake is fed primarily by the Williamson and Sprague rivers. Below the lake’s outlet, the Klamath River begins a 263 mile journey, cutting through both the Cascade and Coast mountain ranges to the Pacific Ocean. The Basin...
Numerous sources of water resource data for Oregon can be found if one knows where to look. Traditional providers such as the US Geological Survey (USGS), the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) have made great strides in recent years to make historical and...
Spatial patterns of summer streamflow in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon vary dramatically between the geologically distinct High and Western Cascade regions. A key control is the partitioning of water input between a fast-draining shallow subsurface flow network (Western Cascades) versus a slow-draining deeper groundwater system (High Cascades). These differences...
Climate change will continue to profoundly affect water supply and aquatic ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. Changes such as warmer air temperatures, increases in the proportion of winter rain versus snow, reduced spring snowpack, and earlier snowmelt all affect streamflow. The response to these climate impacts includes earlier runoff peaks,...
Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) aquifers are commonly thought to be relatively flat lying, laterally extensive, and mostly confined, and therefore not likely to be directly connected to surface water. However, many of the CRBG units in south-central Washington and north-central Oregon were deposited within evolving synclinal structures of the...
Over the last decade hydrologic monitoring efforts in the Upper Klamath Basin (UKB) of Oregon have increased in response to the continued strain on surface water and groundwater to meet competing biological and agricultural demands. The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) increased its stream gaging network from three to ten...
The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA) forged between Klamath River Basin stakeholder groups in California and Oregon, when successfully implemented, will lead to the largest dam removal project in history. After a decade of intense legal and social conflict among disparate interests in...
The study area lies north-northeast of Crater Lake National Park and is covered by 2 to 3 m of pumice deposited during the climactic eruption of Mount Mazama approximately 7700 years before present. The pumice deposit hosts unconfined, seasonally connected, perched aquifers that support groundwater dependent ecosystems at points of...