Water is our Responsibility
Watershed Studies
Case Study
Project: Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Oregon
Client: The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation of Oregon, Warm Springs Power Enterprises
After many years of negotiation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation of Oregon (CTWS) entered into a settlement agreement with State of Oregon and the United States Government. NRCE played a major role in negotiating a settlement with the Tribe, state of Oregon, and non-Indian users. The settlement guaranteed the Tribes a reliable and valuable source of water for satisfying their agricultural and non-agricultural needs.
NRCE provided technical and negotiation support, including extensive investigations and analysis to support the position of the Tribes in establishing the instream flow, power generation, and consumptive-use water rights contained in the agreement. The technical support required a comprehensive study of the Reservation and the Deschutes River basin, considering all aspects of watershed management.
- Climatic conditions and precipitation patterns
- Surface water and groundwater resources and modeling
- Instream flow modeling and flow requirements
- History and characteristics of irrigation
- Arability of the lands, including delineation and mapping of irrigated and irrigable lands
- Present and future agricultural, domestic, commercial, municipal, and industrial water uses
- Conceptual water resources development plan on Reservation lands
- Surface water model of the Deschutes River basin