Oregon Leaders Struggle to Save the Deschutes River Amid Water Rights Challenges

Every year, about 90% of Central Oregon's Deschutes River is diverted into irrigation canals from April to October, leaving the river as a mere creek. Six irrigation districts, led by the powerful Central Oregon Irrigation District (COID), control the water rights, with COID holding rights to over half the river's volume. During droughts, state law forces other districts to cut back to protect COID's share, causing downstream farmers to fallow their land. An analysis found COID diverted four times what its crops needed, but the district disputes the satellite data used. Most of the district's land is pasture or hay, encouraged by state law requiring 'beneficial use' to maintain water rights.