The StreamFlow Solution

Restoring Streamflows with a Strategic, Voluntary and Market-Based, Cooperative Model
The Freshwater Trust takes a basin-scale approach and focuses its efforts in those basins that have historically supported significant fisheries. Within each basin, The Freshwater Trust identifies priority streams for which streamflow is a limiting factor for fish habitat and water quality and there is potential for acquiring water rights to convert to instream use to enhance flows. The Freshwater Trust concentrates streamflow restoration efforts on rivers and creeks where flow is a limiting factor to watershed health. In these systems, small amounts of water can provide significant ecological benefits.

Current priority basins:

• John Day
• Umatilla
• Hood Fifteenmile
• Walla Walla
• Grande Ronde

Our Strategy
The Freshwater Trust uses ecological, hydrologic and water rights data to identify priority streams and evaluate potential water use agreements. Analysis of stream flows and habitat conditions includes:

• delineating fish use and distribution for each segment;
• documenting the current and historical ecological value of the waterway for fish;
• evaluating current habitat and water quality conditions;
• describing the current water availability situation;
• summarizing the relationship of the water right to other water rights in the stream segment; and
• evaluating and summarizing the potential benefits of protected water on fish habitat and water quality conditions.

Voluntary and Market-Based
The Freshwater Trust's voluntary, market-based approach provides water right holders in Oregon with a variety of incentives to modify their water management for ecological and economic benefits. These include: funding for temporary in-stream leases and permanent transfers, replacement feed for lost production, funding for irrigation efficiency projects, a possible tax break for permanent donations of water rights, and protection of landowners water rights.

Cooperative
The Freshwater Trust strives to work with communities to create cooperative solutions that benefit all parties. The Freshwater Trust's advisors, partners and board of directors is a diverse group of committed Oregonians working to realize the organization's goals. Agricultural, environmental, legal and tribal perspectives are represented, allowing us to openly and effectively address the concerns of rural Oregonians regarding their livelihoods and the conservation of aquatic resources.