water
Posted inNews

Snow Way Out

Despite late-season snowfall, Central Oregon can still expect harsh drought conditions
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

A late season snowstorm gave Central Oregonians a glimmer of hope that the drought, among the most severe in the region’s history, could be alleviated. Oregon’s Snotel precipitation report found the Upper Deschutes received about 99% of the median yearly snowfall. That figure may be a bit misleading, according to experts, and on April 25 […]

Posted inNews

Boiling in Warm Springs

Damages to Warm Springs’ Water Treatment Plant aren’t as dire as first expected, but long-term solutions are still distant
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

The Warms Springs Water Treatment Plant is back online after an underground electrical fire disabled it on March 19. The reservation’s utilities department issued an emergency water conservation notice and deployed portable showers, toilets and bottled water while repairs were arranged.  Originally the utilities department expected that repairs could take up to two months, but […]

Posted inNews

Three New COVID-19 Deaths in Central Oregon

The Oregon Health Authority reported the deaths early Friday, taking the total death toll in Central Oregon to five
Laurel Brauns

The Oregon Health Authority reported early Friday that two people from Deschutes County died from COVID-19. In addition, the first death in Jefferson County was reported by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs late Thursday night. In all, the OHA reported nine new COVID-19 deaths in the state Friday, raising Oregon’s total to 282. Among the […]

Posted inNews

Their Own Drum Beat

With cases climbing, leaders in Warm Springs say they may stay closed, even if nearby counties reopen
Laurel Brauns

As of Monday, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reported a total of 15 COVID-19 positive cases within the boundaries of the Warm Springs tribal lands near Madras. Last week, as cases kept climbing, the CTWS’ Tribal Council approved a number of safety measures, including social distancing and wearing masks, and extended the closure of […]

Posted inNews

Water is Life

…for people, fish, farms and other creatures of the High Desert
Avatar photo Nicole Vulcan

Our Creek in WinterTodd Creek, Oregon By Katrina Hays The beargrass is gone The aspen has shed summer The creek dreams in narrow motion under a riven blanket of ice The air you raised your face into is not here That water long since passed What was is no more Suppose nothing changed Suppose we […]

Posted inOpinion

Covered Wagons and Historical Water Rights: Both Out of Date

It’s time to agree that irrigation systems put in place during the covered-wagon days need to go
The Source Staff

Here’s a thing that’s just as antiquated as a covered wagon: The way Central Oregon treats its relationship with one of its most coveted resources, its water. The system that allocates water resources from the precious Deschutes River has largely been in place since those covered wagon days—and if the local irrigation districts get their […]

Posted inNews

New Rental Outfit for Shuttling along the Deschutes

Tumalo Creek will take over for Sun Country Tours in May
Chris Miller

Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe, the Bend and Sunriver-based rental, tour and retail shop was just awarded the contract for concessions operations at Riverbend Park—where inner tube and paddleboard rentals happen—from the Bend Park & Recreation District. According to Julie Brown, BPRD’s communications and community manager, the District reached out for proposals because it intends […]

Posted inOutside

Make America Science-y Again

The March for Science is this Saturday
Avatar photo Nicole Vulcan

In a Pew Research poll conducted in 2016, 74 percent of Americans said they believed “the country should do whatever it takes to protect the environment.” That’s compared to 23 percent who believed the government has gone too far to protect it, according to that same poll.  Despite stats such as those, rollbacks to air […]

Posted inNews

Saltwater Sanctuary

Sensory Deprivation Tank: No sight. No Sound. Just you.
Angela Moore

When the idea came around to do an article about sensory deprivation via float tank, nobody was really jumping up and down to volunteer spending ninety minutes with nothing but their mind. I couldn’t totally blame them. We are (for the most part) a pretty obscure bunch: Constantly thinking, creative, control freaks that are slightly […]

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