WASHINGTON – Today, Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden hailed the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s passage of the Crooked River Collaborative Water Security Act of 2013, which moves the bill one step closer to becoming law.
“This legislation is all about providing water certainty and laying a foundation for economic growth in Prineville and across Central Oregon,” said Senator Merkley. “The stakeholders have done great work in coming together around a common vision after years of division. Now it’s time for Congress to act, and it’s great news that today the Senate has moved one step closer to getting this bill signed into law.”
“This bill uses an innovative approach, supported by the community of Prineville, local irrigators who will gain certainty for their livelihoods and conservation groups and the Warm Springs Tribes due to the benefits to fish and wildlife,” Wyden said. “This is Oregon managing Oregon’s business and I commend Senator Merkley for his efforts to advance this bill.”
Senators Merkley and Wyden introduced the Crooked River Collaborative Water Security Act last November to provide a framework for improving the management of water in the Crooked River while creating opportunities for economic growth and new jobs in Central Oregon. This legislation is based on an agreement that the Senators facilitated among a broad coalition of stakeholders in the region.
The Crooked River Collaborative Water Security Act of 2013 would provide numerous benefits to water users and the Central Oregon region, by:
- Satisfacer las necesidades municipales de agua para la ciudad de Prineville en el futuro para que la ciudad pueda continuar atrayendo nuevos negocios como centros de datos que requieren suministros de agua confiables;
- Brindar mayor certeza a la comunidad agrícola que depende del río Crooked para irrigación;
- Permitir que se libere agua de la represa Bowman para ayudar a mantener saludables las pesquerías de trucha, salmón y trucha arcoíris, que son apreciadas por los pescadores locales;
- Moving the federal wild and scenic river boundary from the top of the dam, fixing an administrative error that has blocked efforts to retrofit Bowman Dam with hydroelectric turbine, and generate clean power;
- Crear un proceso para ayudar a planificar mejor para los años secos, en términos del impacto en el hábitat de los peces y la pesca, así como la navegación y otras actividades recreativas.
This legislation is endorsed by the City of Prineville, Crook County, the Governor of Oregon, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, American Rivers, Deschutes Basin Board of Control (representing all seven major irrigation districts in Central Oregon), NW Steelheaders, Ochoco and North Unit Irrigation Districts, Portland General Electric, Trout Unlimited, and WaterWatch.
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