HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-08-29 C. Havstad - Email re Public Comment1
Chenelle Hale
From:Cate Havstad <catehavstad@gmail.com>
Sent:Sunday, August 29, 2021 11:09 AM
To:William Groves
Cc:CDD Planning
Subject:Public comment for LUBA No, 2018-140, remand hearing
[EXTERNAL EMAIL]
To our public officials who have been elected by the people, and dedicate their days and work to the
service of this place, and its people;
In regards to the remand of the proposed Thornburg Resort, my understanding is the initial
application and proof of mitigation water was submitted and approved in 2018, but MUCH has
changed in relations to our understandings of water availability in the Deschutes Basin since 2018.
Honestly, our understanding of water availability in our basin at the start of 2021 is completely
different than our understanding today in August of 2021.
First and foremost, while the HCP (the Habitat Conservation Plan for the Deschutes Basin) was in
formulation in 2018, it was not approved and enacted until 2021. This season was our (irrigators) first
season of operating within the guidelines of the HCP and all 8 irrigation districts realized that all
projections of water availability at the start of 2021 were very incorrect. The Junior water rights
holders such as North Unit Irrigation District began the season projecting to have enough water to
provide their patrons with 1 acre foot of water for the season. In July, their water allotments were cut
TWICE within one month. Mid season water allotment cuts have not happened since the early 1990s.
Now in August, several of the irrigation districts are COMPLETELY SHUT OFF and not providing
water to their patrons, this was not predicted at the start of the irrigation season. Even the most senior
water rights holders such at COID are now down to 50% allotment delivery, this was also not
predicted.
This reality clearly shows that our projections of availability of water have been vastly incorrect, and
any decision made in 2018 MUST BE REEVALUATED with public transparency. Use of water by a
Resort will affect EVERY SINGLE IRRIGATOR in all 8 irrigation districts, along with the viability of our
ecosystems for fish and wildlife.
Every farmer and rancher who has dried up 70% of their farmland, every already established golf
course should feel the threat of yet another competitor for the already over allocated water supply,
every citizen of the Deschutes Basin who loves our river should be extremely concerned by the fact
that the Deschutes County officials are considering approving a new, redundant and non-beneficial
water suck such as the Thornburg Resort, while the ecology of our region and the livelihoods of our
farmers are on the line.
The reality is this, we don’t have enough water to take care of the existing users; farmers,
ranchers, or existing resorts. To approve this new one, especially without pubic transparency
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about the plan for water impacts, would be acting against the interests of Deschutes County
citizens for the benefit of the developers and their profits.
The public has a right to know where mitigation water is coming from and if it sufficiently
protects surrounding rivers and streams.
Deschutes County should not allow for any further development of Thornburgh Resort until the resort
demonstrates it complies with the county code requirements for full mitigation of the effects on fish
and wildlife. If the water sources have changed, the public has a right to participate in the
process of determining whether the new source meets the standards that require full
mitigation of the effects on fish and wildlife.
To put this decision into context, the Deschutes Basin is at a very fragile tipping point that can be
compared to the tipping points of other river basins. If we continue to approve developments like this,
we will worsen the over-extension of our most precious resource in the high desert, water. Please
take a moment and get familiar with how the Colorado River and the 40 million people who rely on it
are and will be increasingly suffering because of mistakes made in the past, which over allocated it as
a resource to use without boundaries.
40 Million People Rely on the Colorado River. It’s Drying Up Fast.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/sunday-review/colorado-river-drying-up.html?smid=em-
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Thank you for pausing to reflect on how this decision could be yet another nail in the coffin for the
ecological and social viability of this region.
Respectfully and in dedication to this place,
Cate Havstad Casad