In times past, the upper Deschutes River was one of the finest spring creeks in America. The fishery was so prolific that there was a limit of 125 fish per day. That’s right, once you caught your 125th fish you had to quit; you were done for the day. Those days are long gone but the potential remains.

The river system has been greatly modified since that time, primarily by managing the flows to benefit irrigation demands. That means high flows in the summer and low flows below Wickiup Reservoir in the winter.

The low flows are the problem.

When the river levels are dropped, the banks are exposed to freezing and thawing. They slough off and end up as silt. Not only is this silt a problem for Mirror Pond, but it also covers the spawning gravel in the Upper Deschutes. In essence, the life is being choked out of the river due to low winter flows. The recent fish kill due to reduced flows killed an estimated 3,000 fish. That’s a drop in the bucket (pun intended) to the millions of fish denied life due to destruction of their life-producing gravels.

While the discussion of what to do with Mirror Pond rages on, I propose that it is broadened to include how to stop the silt from forming in the first place.

Craig Lacy

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