Published October 1992. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
In recent years we have seen increasing debate over
the allocation of PNW water resources. In particular there
are conflicts over using the river system for irrigation
vs. electricity production. Denying the hydroelectric
system water implies higher costs to electricity consumers
as producers substitute more expensive nonhydro resources.
This research...
The growing demand for water in the arid regions of the West
increases the need for optimal allocation of water among competing
uses. An efficient allocation of water between instream and out-of-stream
uses has been impeded by institutional constraints and the
scarcity of information regarding instream flow benefits. The
objectives...
This study used contingent valuation techniques to estimate the willingness of central Oregon Irrigators to donate a portion of their water rights to increase Deschutes River flow. This study was different from previous contingent valuation studies in that it used water rights as the payment vehicles instead of dollars -...
The conflict over water allocation in the Upper Klamath Basin encompasses many important, complex, and difficult questions. One aspect of the situation, energy pricing, has come under increased scrutiny in connection with relicensing of the Klamath River hydropower operations, which is scheduled to take effect in 2006.
Agricultural water supplies are becoming increasingly uncertain in the western United States due to rising demand from competing water users, environmental restrictions on surface water withdrawals due to water quality and endangered species concerns, and, potentially, climate-induced hydrological changes. Since many rural areas in the West depend economically upon irrigated...
Reservoir systems in the western US are managed to serve two main competing purposes: to reduce flooding during the winter and spring, and to provide water supply for multiple uses during the summer. Because the storage capacity of a reservoir cannot be used for both flood damage reduction and water...
A growing body of literature exists on how human population growth and changes in climatic factors influence the availability of water (Elliot et al. 2014, Prudhomme et al. 2014). These studies typically conclude that climate change is expected to have negative consequences on water availability, an effect that is magnified...
Physical, chemical and bacterial water quality parameters of
the upper Wallowa River were sampled periodically between July 2,
1978 and June 9, 1979 at nine stream and lake sampling sites. Water
upstream from Wallowa Lake was typified by low nutrient concentrations
( generally below detectable limits except for nitrates), low....