Around half of Oregonians said they know “with certainty” where their drinking water comes from.

The other half could “make a guess” or didn’t know at all, according to a recent survey by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center.

The percentages were slightly better for survey respondents in Bend. According to data supplied by the center, 92 people were interviewed in the Bend area and 59 said they “definitely know” where their water comes from and 28 “could probably guess.” Only five said they did not know.

But with Central Oregon facing ongoing pressure on its water supplies from a growing population, drought and climate change, Bend residents may want a better idea of where their water comes from, how it’s used and how they can conserve more of it.

Does Bend’s tap water come from the Deschutes River?

A century ago, the answer was “yes.” A documentary produced by the city of Bend explains that most early settlers drank Deschutes River water during the first couple of decades of the city’s existence.

The water was supplied by Bend Water, Light & Power, a private entity that built the Mirror Pond dam. But as Bend grew, irrigation projects developed upstream from the fledgling city caused a rise in contaminants in the river.

By the 1920s, water from the Deschutes was deemed unfit for consumption and the city began the search for a new water source.

After considering several locations, Bend city officials settled on the spring-fed Bridge Creek, a tributary of Tumalo Creek. Bridge Creek is west of Bend off Skyliners Road, not far from Tumalo Falls. The creek water was determined to be both clean and protected because it was located on national forestland. A 14-mile-long pipe was completed in 1924 to funnel water from the creek into Bend.

For three decades, Bridge Creek supplied enough water to satisfy the needs of Bend residents. But by the 1950s it was clear that more water was needed. The Middle Fork of Tumalo Creek, above Tumalo Falls, became that additional source. The diversion that pulls water from Tumalo Creek is still in use today. Yet still, 99 years later, much of Bend’s water still comes from Bridge Creek.

The city is required by state and federal law to treat its Bridge Creek water source for the parasite cryptosporidium. It does this through a membrane filtration system.

So our water comes from creeks and streams west of Bend?

Yes, but not all of it. The city’s historical documentary explains that by the 1970s the water supply was becoming stretched again so Bend acquired groundwater rights. Its first acquisition was a well belonging to a local logging company. Additional sites were added and the city now operates 20 different wells. The wells are located around the city, including five close to Pilot Butte.

The wells tap the so-called Deschutes Aquifer, which lies around 500 to 1,000 feet underground. Today the amount of water supplied by the Bridge Creek area is around 60% while the aquifer supplies around 40% of the city’s water, said Rod Mingus, water operation manager for Bend. Surface water filtration became more efficient in 2015 with the completion of the Outback Site Water Filtration Facility off Skyliners Road. Prior to its completion, the split between surface and groundwater was closer to 50-50.

A city of Bend factsheet explains that snowmelt recharges the regional aquifer at a rate of 2.4 billion gallons per day. The actual amount of water used by the city is a fraction of that, just 2 billion gallons per year.

Does the municipality supply all of Bend’s tap water?

No. Mike Buettner, the utilities director for the city of Bend, explains that the city supplies water to around 75% of Bend’s water users, while 20% of the water is supplied by Avion Water and 5% is supplied by Roats Water System. Avion and Roats are both rate and service-regulated utilities under the Oregon Public Utility Commission.

Who is using the water and how much is used?

In Bend, according to the city’s Water Management and Conservation Plan published in 2021, single-family homes use 54.7% of the city’s water, multifamily homes use 12.2%, commercial use is 25.9%, and irrigation uses 6.5% (2019 data). Irrigation uses include homeowners’ associations, city parks, schools and commercial businesses with large landscapes.

The average single-family residential home in Bend uses roughly 286 gallons per day or 119 gallons per day per person, said Buettner.

“This varies significantly throughout the year as seasons change,” he said. “The primary driver for single-family residential water use is lot size, so larger lots can use much more than this; smaller lots can often use less. Once inside the home, water users generally have the same usage patterns and same types of plumbing fixtures.”

There’s a lot of farmland around Bend. Do farms use the same water source as the city of Bend?

No, most of the farmland in Deschutes County is irrigated with water from the Deschutes River. To a lesser extent, water for farmers is also derived from Tumalo Creek, Whychus Creek and Crescent Lake. Farmers in Jefferson and Crook counties also get water from the Crooked River.

Farms also use a lot more water compared to Central Oregon’s municipalities. Data published by the city of Bend reveals that in the Deschutes Basin, 193 billion gallons of water were diverted from streamflows for agricultural use in 2020. That same year, water diversions for municipal use (Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Avion customers) totaled 13 billion gallons.

We are in a drought; how healthy is the aquifer?

“We are always kind of worried about it, but not overreacting,” said Buettner.

“We are seeing gradual, incremental declines in groundwater levels in Central Oregon,” said Buettner. “The east side of Bend is dropping faster than the west side of Bend. The rate increases more towards Redmond and Madras.

Current projections show that Bend will need additional water rights by 2040. But Buettner said past estimates have been conservative and when new projections are made, the need for new water rights tends to get pushed back. This is usually due to enhancements in water conservation that help the city buy time in terms of needing more water.

“We’ll update these projections before 2030 and anticipate the need for future water supplies to be pushed out even further,” said Buettner.

What about city water conservation efforts?

Buettner said conservation is crucial, and the city intends to do a better job of enforcing some of the regulations that are already in place. Approved irrigation days and water waste will be carefully monitored.

“Schools, parks and city of Bend properties could be asked to commit to a 5% to 10% reduction in water use this year,” he said. “A similar policy was followed last year. We are currently developing updated standards for landscape and irrigation systems that will help improve water efficiency.”

The city is also discussing ways to change landscaping codes in new developments to reduce the use of lawns in Bend and increase native landscaping. “We are going to get away from grass and sprinklers right up to the curb. We are going to look at more water-conscious landscape standards,” said Buettner.

The city of Bend will send you a free WaterWise indoor conservation kit to help you reduce water use in your home. Visit the city’s WaterWise web page for more information. 

More resources to prevent water waste are available through the water waste prevention program. 

Most water is used outside the home. Consider these conservation tips from the Environmental Protection Agency:

• Maximize the use of natural vegetation and establish smaller lawns. For portions of your lot where a lawn and landscaping are desired, ask your local nursery for tips about plants and grasses with low water demand. Consider planting more trees, shrubs, ground covers, and less or no grass. Use native plants.
• When mowing your lawn, set the mower blades to 2-3 inches high. Longer grass shades the soil, improving moisture retention, has more leaf surface to take in sunlight, allowing it to grow thicker and develop a deeper root system. This helps grass survive drought, tolerate insect damage and fend off disease.
• Only water the lawn when necessary. Avoid watering on windy and hot days. Water the lawn and garden in the morning or late in the evening to maximize the amount of water which reaches the plant roots (otherwise most of the water will evaporate). Use soaker hoses to water gardens and flower beds. If an automatic lawn irrigation system is used, be sure it has been properly installed, is programmed to deliver the appropriate amount and rate of water, and has rain shut-off capability.
• Apply mulch around shrubs and flower beds to reduce evaporation, promote plant growth and control weeds.
• Add compost or an organic matter to soil as necessary, to improve soil conditions and water retention.
• Always use a broom to clean walkways, driveways, decks and porches, rather than hosing off these areas.