OPB: Water management results in 500-1,000 dead fish in the Upper Deschutes River.
OPB: Water management results in 500-1,000 dead fish in the Upper Deschutes River.
The Upper Deschutes is fed from the Wickiup Reservoir. A few weeks ago, river flows were about 2,000 cubic feet per second. But once irrigators were done with water for the season, dam operators cut back water releases by at least 75 percent.
“What happens is the river channel below Wickiup gets de-watered, basically,” said ODFW fish biologist Erik Moberly.
