This bill reauthorizes the Deschutes River Conservancy Working Group until 2032, updates its required membership structure, and increases the allowable administrative cost percentage.
Janelle Bynum
Representative
OR-5
The Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 2025 extends the authorization for the Deschutes River Conservancy Working Group until 2032. This bill updates the required membership composition of the Working Group to ensure diverse representation from environmental, agricultural, tribal, and governmental interests. Additionally, it increases the allowable limit for administrative costs from five percent to ten percent.
Deschutes River Water Group Gets 7-Year Extension and Doubles Admin Budget to 10%
The official name of this bill is the "Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 2025," and it’s a classic piece of legislative maintenance. Essentially, it keeps a key water management group in Oregon running and updates how that group operates. The big takeaway is that the Deschutes River Conservancy Working Group—the body that helps manage water resources in the Deschutes River Basin—is getting its authorization extended from the old 2016 deadline all the way out to 2032. This means the group stays in business for another seven years, ensuring continuity in water decisions for the region.
Who Gets a Seat at the Table?
One of the most important changes is how the Working Group’s board of directors is structured. The bill mandates that the board must now have between 10 and 15 members, all nominated based on the specific interests they represent. This isn’t a free-for-all; the bill spells out exactly who needs to be there. We’re talking two members for the environmental community, two for irrigated agriculture, and two for the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon. Then you’ve got single seats reserved for hydroelectric production, a Federal agency with authority in the basin, an Oregon state agency (like Fish and Wildlife), and a local government unit. For the people who live and work in the Deschutes Basin—from farmers managing irrigation pivots to residents concerned about river health—this formalized structure means that all the major stakeholders have a guaranteed voice in water decisions, which should theoretically lead to more balanced outcomes.
The Cost of Doing Business Just Doubled
There’s also a significant change to the group’s finances. The bill doubles the limit on administrative costs from 5 percent up to 10 percent. While this might sound like bureaucratic overhead, for a working group that needs to coordinate complex water sharing and conservation projects across diverse interests, this increased flexibility is likely necessary to support longer-term operations and staffing through 2032. Think of it like this: if the group manages $1 million in project funds, they can now spend up to $100,000 on overhead (salaries, office space, legal fees) instead of the previous $50,000. This change (Section 2) acknowledges that coordinating complex policy and conservation efforts isn't free, and it gives the group more breathing room to manage its mandate effectively for the next seven years.