Deschutes HCP Irrigation Districts

<span style='font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px;'>After over a decade of development, the Deschutes Basin Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) was finalized and approved by FWS on December 31, 2020 and guides irrigation water management in the Deschutes River Basin in central Oregon for the next 30 years. The HCP covers the storage, release, diversion, and return of irrigation water from five major reservoirs in the basin, and includes conservation measures that adjust the timing, volume, and duration of irrigation releases to better align with wildlife needs. Spanning six counties and over 10,000 square miles, the scope of the HCP is vast and its effects to streamflows, to wildlife, and to thousands of downstream water users is complex and varied.</span><div style='font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px;'><br /></div><div style='font-family:&quot;Avenir Next W01&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next W00&quot;, &quot;Avenir Next&quot;, Avenir, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif; font-size:16px;'>The first year of implementation of the HCP finds central Oregon in record drought conditions, where low reservoir levels and water shortages can be felt by all who rely on the river for their livelihoods. Public interest in this HCP is high, and solid, proactive outreach from FWS on how the HCP impacts the basin – and how it benefits both people and wildlife – is imperative. The Deschutes Basin HCP Web App is a visual complement to our outreach and education efforts on the effects of the HCP. The Web App will be critical in our efforts to inform partners and the public about the various and intricate ways water management in the basin is changing under the HCP and its implications for people and for wildlife.</div>