As readers of this blog know, I have been writing about declining groundwater levels in the Deschutes Basin for many years as well as the recent and overdue work by the Oregon Water Resources Department to address it (see the groundwater section if you want to dive in). You also know that groundwater and surface water are “hydrologically connected”. In other words, declining groundwater lowers stream flows which impacts fish, wildlife, and recreation. If you are new to the blog, or have been skipping over the years of posts on the subject, the Deschutes River Conservancy recently held a brief seminar that went over some highlights of local hydrology, the new rules for obtaining groundwater permits, and consumption of water by city and rural water users. If you want a quick overview the replay is worth watching.

The seminar did omit a couple of very important points, however, that I have written about. One is that the primary reason local groundwater levels are declining is due to global warming (less recharge from precipitation and higher rates of evapotranspiration), not increased groundwater pumping. Even with the touted Deschutes Basin Mitigation program in place, many stream levels are dropping. (The exception is the Upper Deschutes due to requirements in the Deschutes Basin Habitat Conservation Plan.) Also, the new groundwater permit rules will do nothing to address the current declines in groundwater levels. At best, they will slow the continued rate of decline.