Lazily floating down the Deschutes, past the Old Mill and, after a short portage, into Drake Park near downtown Bend, has for years been a Central Oregon summertime ritual. But this year that casual cool down may be interrupted. City councilor Victor Chudowsky worries that the leaking Newport Avenue dam will mean a shallower river […]
Deschutes River
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Let’s Call it a Draw
In the fast and furious pond-or-river debate, some are calling for both
At last Wednesday’s city council meeting, Mayor Jim Clinton held up a colorful painting of what could be. The rendering (pictured above) showed both a river and a pond—but no Newport Avenue dam, the 103-year-old, leaking structure that creates Mirror Pond. Presented to murmuring approvals and head nods at the city council meeting, this new […]
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A River Runs Through It?
Inspectors say leaky dam is showing its age, neighbors get a glimpse of a river
Early last week, in order to get a good look at the leaking Newport Avenue Dam, Pacific Power, the utility company that owns the structure, drew down the already-low water levels of Mirror Pond (or, do we now call the water adjacent to Drake Park the Deschutes River?). The reason for lowering water levels even […]
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Inspectors on Newport Avenue Dam: “It’s Old”
Pacific Power engineers at work. So far, after one full day of inspections, Pacific Power engineers are reporting what we already knew about the leaking, 103-year-old Newport Avenue dam. “It’s inline with our expectations, which is, it’s old,” said Pacific Power spokesperson Bob Gravely while standing on the Newport Avenue Bridge overlooking the dam. Gravely, […]
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Water Levels in Mirror Pond to Drop Further as Dam Inspection Begins
Mirror Pond water levels are already quite low. Pacific Power spokesman Bob Gravely just told me that the utility company will begin drawing down water levels Monday morning at the “crack on dawn” so that company personnel can access and inspect the Newport Avenue Dam, which sprung a significant leak in early October. Permitting requirements […]
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Sunrise on the Deschutes River
© Christian Heeb, Cascade Center of Photography Fall Colors along Deschutes River October along the Deschutes is always stunning. Much so recently when I went there with a German photographer friend. Its always great when you can impress visitors with the scenic beauty here in Central Oregon. This morning turned out to be one of […]
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Care About the River? Here’s How to Vote on Mirror Pond’s Future.
River or pond? Dredge and walk away or remove the dam and add more public green space? The Mirror Pond Steering Committee has presented the community with four options (or seven, counting the no-dam alternatives associated with the first three options) for managing the silt clogging the pond feature on the Deschutes River near downtown […]
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Pacific Power Says Dam is “Not Very” Important to Company
Yesterday’s MPMB powwow. During Wednesday’s Mirror Pond Management Board meeting Pacific Power rep. Angela Jacobson Price was asked “how important is the dam to your company?”“Not very,” she said. Price went on to call the Newport Avenue dam, the 100-year-old structure which impounds the Deschutes River at Drake Park, “a small asset” and said it […]
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The Somewhat Surprising Results from the Unofficial Mirror Pond Survey
Further proof that the tide may well be turning: mirrorpond.info That long, split-pea green bar on top represents the 62.26% of respondents who think “The dam should be removed and the river returned to its natural channel.” About 300 participated in the the unofficial survey, issued by the Old Bend Neighborhood Association via the website […]
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Deschutes River: “Integrated Solution” Called for at City Club Today
Ryan Houston of Upper Deschutes Watershed Council explains what is and isn’t possible. Today’s City Club of Central Oregon forum was a who’s who of Bend’s movers and shakers. Not surprising given the topic: Mirror Pond. It was perhaps the first time in recent years where river experts, hydrologists and stakeholders, as well as notables […]
