HomeMy WebLinkAbout1-29-14 Basin Study Letter
Lorri Lee, Regional Director January 31, 2014
Pacific Northwest Regional Office
1150 North Curtis Road, Suite 100
Boise, Idaho 83706-1234
Dear Ms. Lee,
On behalf of Deschutes County, we are offering this letter in support of the Deschutes Basin Board of
Control’s Proposal to the US Bureau of Reclamation for a Basin Study, on behalf of the Deschutes Basin
Study Work Group.
Valuable progress has been made in the Deschutes Basin identifying agricultural, municipal, and
instream water supply needs into the future, and partners have taken significant steps to address the
supply and demand imbalance. Much work remains to be done, however, and a Basin Study would
provide much-needed expertise and resources to move this forward.
Approximately twenty partners have capitalized on the history of collaboration in the Deschutes to form
the Basin Study Work Group. The group has balanced representation from agricultural, municipal and
instream interests, and provides the appropriate collaborative planning forum to work with the US
Bureau of Reclamation to address these issues.
Deschutes County supports the water supply and demand planning updates, climate change analysis,
and development and analysis of options for meeting water demands proposed in the Deschutes Basin
Study.
We at Deschutes County understand that the Basin Study is a critical step for leveraging the best science
and analysis to implement a long-term water management plan that mitigates water imbalances into
the future.
Sincerely,
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners
Tammy Baney, Chair
Anthony DeBone, Vice Chair
Alan Unger, Commissioner