Basin-wise spring Chinook returns in 2024: To Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery: 237: To Round Butte Hatchery: 191: Wild spring Chinook: 55. Goal for wild escapement: 1,300 per year.

More than 2,500 days of water quality data since 2016 paint a picture of what’s happening on the lower Deschutes.

“Dean Dark will tell you it’s not about the weeds. It’s ultimately about the water, the wildlife, and the native grasses, shrubs and trees …These invasive plants, says Dark, make not only human visitors, but full-time non-human residents of the canyon less happy. ‘Wildlife suffer,’ says Dark. ‘Streams get choked in. Cheat grass and blackberry prevent cool water from reaching the river.’”

As the days shorten and the river settles into its own style of hibernation until next spring, think about the current status of the lower Deschutes. Far from perfect because of nearly 15 years of mismanagement, it is still a beautiful, inspiring place. Here we recreate. And here we can re-create the river that the lower Deschutes River should be.

The language in PGE’s license is rife with references to “Adaptive Management.” In theory, this means that management strategies for the lower Deschutes River should be subject to constant monitoring, evaluation–and adjustment when standards for water quality and fish reintroduction aren’t being met. In practice, PGE, with the acquiescence of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and notably, without public input, simply lowered the standards while its failing management strategies remain in place. 

A skeptic of the DRA’s science program once derisively commented, “I don’t fish for pH.” This is a little like saying you don’t shower for soap. Of course you fish to catch fish, just as you shower to get clean. And just as you won’t easily get clean unless that bar of Irish Spring is with you in the shower, your fishing experience will be less satisfying in water that isn’t complying with pH standards. 

In January 2025, PGE changed the way it reports steelhead return data.

These findings, while important to see in a journal paper, simply conclude what long-time anglers, river users and all those who love the lower Deschutes River have known since the tower started operating: The quality of the lower Deschutes River isn’t what it use to be!  Remember this decline was created by the release of more surface water. And it can be improved by the release of more bottom water. 

This 2024 report highlights the importance of transparent, publicly accessible data because without it, the true status of fish returns remains unclear. To give the public a better picture of progress in steelhead and salmon recovery, ODFW and PGE must collaborate more effectively, moving beyond simplified return data and ensuring detailed information is readily available to the public rather than only within specialized reports.

Without a healthy river, the economic landscape for Imperial River Company, and other businesses in Maupin, will change. At Imperial, Rob and Susie hope to be able to continue providing opportunities for people to actively relax along the banks of the cold and clear Deschutes River. 

…water temperatures in the Deschutes are now warmer than the mainstem Columbia for six months out of the year. This reversal from historic norms not only puts already imperiled upriver stocks of salmonids even more at risk, as the DRA has extensively documented, it also has created a host of problems for trout, salmon and steelhead that spend some or all their lives in the lower Deschutes River.

 Of all the frustrations that accompany the long, slow decline of water quality in the lower Deschutes, perhaps the most infuriating is the ongoing lack of a reasonable, honest  explanation from PGE about a rationale for maintaining a damaging status quo. In previous blog posts, our science team has debunked the notion that cooler, cleaner water from the depths of Lake Billy Chinook would run out if more of it flowed into the lower Deschutes.

“We want the river to be clean, pristine, and our clients want that too.”

The wheels are in motion for positive change, and they will continue to gain speed with your support. Writing letters and speaking up make a difference. Writing checks and reaching into your pockets allows the organization to advocate forcefully and effectively. The lower Deschutes River belongs to the people of Oregon, not the utilities. It’s up to Oregonians, and anyone else who visits to enjoy our crown jewel, to protect it.

The emerald green water on the surface of Lake Billy Chinook flows into the lower Deschutes eight months out of the year. Cooler, cleaner water from the depths of the reservoir could be released most of the year.

Consequently, juvenile salmonids present in the lower Deschutes River from April-September 2022, June-July 2023, and May-July- 2024, would have experienced significant risk of infection and disease.

According to Oregon water quality standards, the maximum allowable pH in the Deschutes Basin is 8.5. However, our data shows that daily pH levels are regularly peaking around 9.0. While a difference of 0.5 might seem small, it’s actually quite significant: the pH scale is logarithmic, meaning a pH of 9 is ten times more alkaline than a pH of 8.

One cure for the Deschutes, Thornton says, is enthusiastic support for the Deschutes River Alliance. “The [lower Deschutes] River is home base, absolutely vital to the well-being of Maupin and the surrounding community, and a life-blood of central Oregon. We should all be supporting what the DRA is doing.” 

The Deschutes River Alliance’s third annual Troutfest is in the books. Friday’s mid-day heat and Saturday’s mid-day wind made for some challenges, but everyone in attendance  rose to the occasion. All that was left to do Sunday was clean up and begin compiling a long list of thank-you’s to be reiterated here on this week’s blog.