Roots from a large ponderosa pine extend outward from the banks of the Deschutes River in La Pine State Park in this file photo. 

We are in a time of water scarcity in Deschutes County. We are all aware of our surface water problems, primarily flows in the Deschutes River above Bend and the diversions to agriculture. Less well known is the issue of groundwater depletion, an area where Deschutes County can be proactive. When most of us think of water, it’s the water that we use in and around our homes. This water mostly comes out of the ground, even farmers use groundwater for their domestic use.

We have known since 2013 that groundwater is declining. Declines are primarily due to a shrinking snowpack, but the second major influence is groundwater pumping at an unsustainable rate. Irrigation canal lining is a much smaller factor, perhaps only 10%. We can see the impact of a shrinking aquifer in smaller springs, lower river levels, and domestic wells declining and sometimes going dry.

While large scale groundwater pumping is regulated by the State of Oregon, domestic wells are exempt from regulation. An exempt well owner is supposed to use no more than 15,000 gallons of water a day, irrigate no more than ½ acre, and can use an unlimited amount for “stock watering”. Unfortunately, there is no monitoring or enforcement of these generous allocations.

Exempt well owners are not required to install any metering equipment, without which a well owner has little idea how much water they are using. A 2017 report estimated that 21,337 exempt wells pumped 8,393 acre feet of water, more groundwater than used by the City of Bend.

Of course, growth has continued at a rapid pace since 2017. The Thornburg resort near Redmond, now under construction, is slated to eventually use as much as 6 million gallons of groundwater a day, more than used by the City of Ashland, which will have a significant impact on groundwater levels.

There are many facets to local water shortages, mostly outside the control of Deschutes County, but the County can help protect groundwater.

Deschutes County should require that monitoring devices be attached to new domestic wells and to wells being deepened. Those meters should be monitored by the County. Over time, existing wells should be retrofitted with meters. This data can be used to create and enforce county regulations to help slow groundwater declines and improve water security for homeowners as well as restore habitat for fish and wildlife.

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