Deschutes Groundwater Mitigation Program

The Deschutes Groundwater Mitigation Program was developed to provide for new ground water uses while maintaining scenic waterway and instream water right flows in the Deschutes Basin.  Surface water flows in the Deschutes River and many of its tributaries are protected with scenic waterway designations and/or instream water rights.  In addition, there are hundreds of existing surface water diversions for various uses, including irrigation and municipal use.  In the 1990’s, a groundwater study completed by U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Oregon Water Resources Department (WRD) and other Deschutes Basin partners, found that there is a hydraulic connection between groundwater and surface water within the Deschutes Groundwater Study Area (DGWSA). As a result of this connection, additional groundwater uses within the DGWSA impact established instream flows and other existing surface water rights.  Without mitigation, WRD would not be able to approve new groundwater uses that require permits within the DGWSA.

OWRD will be accepting public input on the Deschutes Mitigation Program, which will be considered during the development of the five-year legislative report (due in December 2026). Instructions for providing public input can be found on page 1of the feedback summary document viewable below.

Please submit comments by May 15, 2026. (Refer to the Deschutes Mitigation Program Feedback Summary for contact information.) Comments submitted after May 15 will not be considered during development of the draft report. However, there will be an opportunity to comment on the completed draft report in August–September 2026.

Please check back for more information soon.