Deschutes County joins a growing list of Oregon counties—now 15 deep—designated by Gov. Kate Brown as drought emergencies following today’s announcement. With today’s addition of eight counties, nearly half the state is experiencing an official drought emergency. In addition to Deschutes, Grant, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Morrow, Umatilla, and Wasco counties have been added.
“The majority of our state is parched due to the warm winter and lack of snow,” Gov. Brown said in a release. “As we move into summer, many areas of the state are going to dry out very quickly, likely leading to a difficult fire season as well as water shortages. We need our state, local and federal partners to be prepared as our communities grapple with hot and dry conditions.”
In an effort to drive home the seriousness of these conditions, Gov. Brown is launching the #ORdrought campaign, which she kicked off with the video below. In it, she stresses that while the situation is dire, meaningful changes can still be made.
“It may look green now, but we are going to experience one the worst droughts in the history of our state,” she says in the video.
“But the script hasn’t been written yet. By working together, we can begin to make a difference right now.”
The drought declaration directs agencies such as the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Department of Water Resources, the Water Resources Commission, and the Office of Emergency Management to assist water users and the state in mitigating the impacts of the drought.
Follow #ORdrought on social media for more.
This article appears in May 13-20, 2015.
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As is obvious to most Oregon citizens, the state, as Gov. Brown recognizes, is having a severe drought decade. The drought designation by the Governor is crucial to gain funds to assist affected counties. Which makes it so confusing that Gov. Brown has also just approved the Oregon Water Resources Dept (OWRD) to transfer water rights from Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the city of Cascade Locks to Swiss company Nestle Corp. so the company can use Oregon water from Oxbow Springs to bottle and sell water worldwide. Nestle is also proposing to build a 50,000 sq. foot plant in Cascade Locks for this business venture. This decision seems illogical and short-sighted. Taking water from Oregon, in a drought decade, putting it in plastic bottles (ugh), and selling it for a profit for Nestle is not a good deal for Oregon. For more information, go to OxbowSpringsWater@dfw.state.or.us or check out http://bark-out.org/project/nestle-water-b…. Make your voice heard if you agree that selling Oregon water to a foreign corporation for foreign profit in a drought decade is wrong for Oregon. Thank you.
Debby Black-Tanski