News Release
| Release Number: | 97-030 |
| Dated: | 3/14/1997 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. -- Two agencies have teamed up to address long-term needs for water demand in the Willamette Basin.
As part of their Willamette Basin Reservoir Study, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) are seeking early public input about future water demand in the Willamette Basin, especially as it relates to operation of the Corps' Willamette reservoirs. They also will be seeking scoping comments for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process.
To provide information about the study and its goals, and to receive comments and ideas about relevant issues, the Corps' Portland District and OWRD--the study's non-federal sponsor--are holding three workshops in three different locations in the basin.
From 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., a study team comprised of members from federal, state and local agencies and municipalities will be available at the following locations:
March 31
Tualatin High School Commons
22300 S.W. Boones Ferry Road
Tualatin, Ore.
April 1
Linn-Benton Community College
Forum 104 Auditorium and Commons
6500 S.W. Pacific Blvd.
Albany, Ore.
April 2
Springfield High Commons
875 N. 5th Street
Springfield, Ore.
At 7 p.m. at each workshop, Corps project manager Karen Bahus will provide an overview about the study, its goals, and the workshops. The rest of the time will be devoted to one-on-one discussions at a variety of "issue stations" staffed by members of the Corps, OWRD and other agencies.
The Corps operates 13 lakes in the Willamette Basin. Operation of the projects is based on the Flood Control Act of 1938. In addition to flood damage reduction, the reservoirs provide for irrigation, fish and wildlife, navigation and water quality. Eight projects also contain power generating facilities. As the region's population is projected to increase over the next 50 years, a greater demand for water in the basin, as well as for water stored in the Corps reservoirs, is expected.
The four-year feasibility study, which began in June 1996, will analyze how demand for Willamette Basin water will increase as population in the basin continues to grow and what the implications of this demand may be on the operation of the Corps' reservoir system. The study also will consider how well the current system for allocating stored water would meet future needs, and establish if changes in this system will better serve the full range of water uses in the Willamette Basin.
For more information about the study or the workshops, or to provide written comments, write to or call: Tom Kline, OWRD, 158 12th Street N.E., Salem, Ore., 97310, (503) 378-8455, ext. 234; or Karen Bahus, USACOE, P.O. Box 2946, Portland, Ore., 97208-2946, (503) 326-6437.
Editors note: A basinwide map can be mailed to you for use in your publication. Please call Heidi Helwig at (503) 326-6005 for a copy. A similar map and more information about the study may be found on the Internet at "www.wrd.state.or.us/programs/will_res/reslist.html". Also, a "media kit" developed for the study will be mailed to you by OWRD sometime next week.