Environment

Oregon leaders are trying to save the Deschutes River. Here’s why that’s so hard

By Emily Cureton Cook (OPB)
June 26, 2026 9 a.m.

By law, one irrigation district has rights to most of the water from the Deschutes, forcing farmers to fallow their land in times of scarcity. Oregon has pushed three main solutions to deliver water more efficiently and sustainably.