The Jackson County Bear Creek Project

OWT Partners with Irrigation Districts in Southern Oregon

In 2006, OWT and its partners added almost 5 cubic feet per second of water to Bear Creek in Jackson County. OWT worked with the Talent, Medford, and Rogue River Valley irrigation districts to identify interested district patrons and locate parcels of water rights available for instream use. OWT and the districts developed a cooperative plan for managing the water in Bear Creek which typically has low flow and poor water quality in summer months.

The districts and seven patrons each executed a contract with OWT and then submitted instream lease applications to the Oregon Water Resources Department, which reviewed the lease applications for completeness and to ensure no other water rights would be harmed.

"This pilot project went well for the district and our patrons. I think Bear Creek benefited from the additional water. OWT is a good partner.”
- Jim Pendleton, Manager of Talent Irrigation District

The result was more water in Bear Creek when it was needed most. OWT and its partners learned important lessons to help make leasing in the districts more efficient in the future. The Carpenter Foundation of Medford and the Laird Norton Foundation in Seattle provided primary financial support to the project.