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Tribes and Bend officials seek 10-year extension of groundwater mitigation program to buy time for watershed science
Summary
City staff and tribal leaders discussed extending a groundwater mitigation program now set to sunset in 2029, noting a 200 cfs cap, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs' review role under the settlement referenced in the meeting, and a legislative concept to add 10 years for program redesign and improved science.
City of Bend staff and tribal leaders outlined plans to extend and rework the region’s groundwater mitigation program to allow time for more basin-specific science and collaborative ecosystem restoration.
Mike (last name not stated), a city staff member participating in consultations, said the mitigation program currently carries a volume/rate cap of 200 cubic feet per second and is scheduled to sunset in 2029. He said the city and tribal partners have been preparing a legislative concept for the 2027 session that would extend the program for 10 years to create space to redesign mitigation toward more restorative, watershed‑enhancement approaches.
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs’ role in reviewing transfers was emphasized repeatedly. Meeting participants referenced the settlement that defines tribal review responsibilities; staff said that tribal review is an explicit part of the consultation and program update process.
A recurring theme at the meeting was the need for updated, localized science. One participant noted USGS and other studies from the 1990s and 2016 are aging and may not reflect current climate and pumping conditions. City staff and tribal representatives said that, because groundwater and surface-water systems differ across basins, data-center groundwater-storage and recharge models used elsewhere may not translate to the Dashes/Dashuites basin.
Tribal speakers stressed accountability. A tribal participant warned that past promises of restoration have sometimes produced only «paper fish» or «paper waters» — commitments on paper without durable ecological return. The speaker called for measurable mitigation tied to flows, habitat and fish recovery rather than primarily transactional credits that produce temporary instream flows.
City staff described how mitigation credits have historically been produced through transactions with irrigation districts — payments that produce instream flows for finite periods — and said the next iteration of the program should explore watershed enhancement and restoration as a source of higher‑value credits.
Staff also signaled interest in co‑applying for grants, pursuing watershed enhancement projects and coordinating monitoring efforts to strengthen the scientific basis for mitigation decisions. The meeting closed with agreement to continue monthly consultations and to return to technical topics, including water‑quality monitoring and adaptive management strategies.
What happens next: city staff said the legislative concept will proceed towards the 2027 session and that ongoing consultation with tribes and other basin stakeholders will continue as the program is refined. No formal vote or final legislative action took place at this meeting.
