Key voice in Deschutes conservation plan to retire from irrigation district

Published 3:25 pm Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Mike Britton to step down from North Unit after years of guiding farmers and forging unlikely alliances

Mike Britton is not one to back down from a challenge. That’s a good thing because during his time as general manager of Central Oregon’s largest irrigation district, the challenges seemed to grow bigger by the year.

Over the past 15-plus years, Britton has steered North Unit Irrigation District — which delivers water to nearly 60,000 acres of Jefferson County farmland — through drought and operational challenges. He was also a pivotal voice acting on behalf of the farming community throughout the development of the Deschutes Basin Habitat Conservation Plan — a landmark agreement between irrigation districts and wildlife officials.

Britton’s calm demeanor is one of the reasons for his success at North Unit Irrigation District, where he has worked since 2008, first as its general manager and more recently as its executive manager in charge of special projects.

But he also tells The Bulletin that an important aspect of the job was understanding that not everyone would agree with him all the time. And he was fine with that.

“A lot of times I had to say ‘no’ to people and that didn’t make them happy. But that came with the territory,” said Britton. “At the end of the day I was doing a job I was hired to do. Part of the job as a manager is managing responsibility and you have to be able to live with the decisions you made and I have been able to do that throughout my career.”

Retirement looming

That career is now in its waning days. Britton, 63, is set to retire from North Unit at the end of the year. Britton and his wife Cheryl plan to be closer to family in California — he grew up in the farming community of Woodland, north of Sacramento. The goal is to one day migrate to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where the couple has a home.

He’s looking forward to traveling, playing golf and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle. But before doing so he’ll tie up existing projects at North Unit and reflect on the work he has done in Oregon.

Britton came to work for North Unit in mid-2008 from California after managing two irrigation districts simultaneously. At that time, the eight irrigation districts in Central Oregon (collectively the Deschutes Basin Board of Control) were in the early stages of creating a Habitat Conservation Plan designed to benefit threatened fish (and later Oregon spotted frogs) in the Deschutes River.

The development of the plan largely rested on the shoulders of the eight irrigation districts, with guidance from lawyers and consultants hired to put the plan together. But as head of the district in charge of releasing water in the Deschutes, Britton found himself in a pivotal position — speaking on behalf of North Unit while also working with legal teams, adversaries and allies.

It took 12 years to hammer out an agreement that could be signed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Special skills needed

During the time when the Habitat Conservation Plan was in development, Britton served as the Deschutes Basin Board of Control president, a role that tested his leadership skills as he facilitated the lines of communication between North Unit, the  other irrigation districts, and those preparing the HCP.

“Mike was in the driver’s seat for the entire formation of the HCP,” said Josh Bailey, the current general manager who took over from Britton. “It was a monumental task and a heavy lift to get done, especially with the time constraints.”

As the lead advocate for the plan, Britton was there to talk about its every nuance. He spoke at open houses, town halls and board meetings. He reported on the HCP to journalists and passers-by at farm fairs.

Britton was North Unit manager and president of the Deschutes Basin Board of Control when environmentalists filed lawsuits in 2015 over the districts’ use of water. The districts mounted a successful defense against the lawsuits when a judge acknowledged the collaborative work in the Deschutes Basin to get the conservation plan moving forward.

“He was just the right guy at just the right time for the HCP,” said Marty Richards, a North Unit farmer and former board member. “I believe he was respected by adversaries as well as allies.”

Wearing two hats

For roughly seven years, Britton was essentially doing two jobs, one managing the district operations and one as a supporter and advocate of the conservation plan. Part of the day was spent overseeing hydroelectric and pipeline projects — and tending the the occasion infrastructure breakdown — while the rest was spent on the HCP.

“I am glad we did the HCP. There are going to be people who will disagree with that but there were no other options; other than to go to court and fight the environmentalists,” Britton said.

By Britton’s admission, the agricultural industry has a poor track record when challenged in court by environmental advocates. When challenges arose against his district and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Britton expected a loss in the courts.

Instead of capitulating, Britton remained resolute in his mission to get the HCP nailed down.

“Because we had the HCP we were able to sustain our way of operating the district … if those other entities had won we would have been out of water 10 years ago,” he said.

Enlisting adversaries

Richards, the North Unit farmer, credits Britton’s success to his ability to work “across the aisle.” He spent time with environmental groups, explaining the challenges of a junior water rights district that receives less water than more senior districts.

“He turned a lot of our adversaries into allies,” said Richards. “One of the main ones was the Coalition for the Deschutes. They were really adamant. But when we showed them everything and educated them, they went to bat for us in the Legislature and a lot of other meetings. I think in no small part (Britton) helped to do that.”

Gail Snyder, the former head of Coalition for the Deschutes, said she was determined to find solutions to improve the health of the Deschutes River but pulled back from hard line tactics after encounters with Britton, noting his willingness to listen but also his commitment to North Unit.

“He was always, always open to conversation,” said Snyder. “He was a straight shooter. He cared deeply about he mission and his role as North Unit district manager. That was his role that was priority.”

Spending large amounts of time and effort on the HCP, as well as working with advocates for the environment, paid off in the end. He managed to complete these goals while keeping the district operations and its multimillion dollar pipeline projects on track.

“I am comfortable and proud of that effort,” said Britton. “There are not a lot of habitat conservation plans that get all the way to the finish line and get approved. It has been a milestone marker for my career, one of them.”