An Update to Water Resources of Central Oregon

Develop a better understanding of water conditions and trends in the Deschutes Basin.

You can attend this program online or in person. To take part online, register at https://www.deschuteslibrary.org/calendar/event/69594. Masks are optional at all in-person library events.

Kyle Gorman, Region Manager of the Oregon Water Resources Department, provides an update to water conditions for this upcoming irrigation season. In this presentation, Kyle covers precipitation, snowpack, river and reservoir levels, as well as some groundwater level trends in the Deschutes Basin. He compares this year to the previous extreme drought conditions of the past few years and whether there is optimism for improvement in our water supplies in 2023.

Kyle Gorman is a fifth generation Oregonian, born in Salem. He received a BS in geology from the University of Oregon, with his first year of work with Newmont Exploration Ltd. in Elko, Nevada, as a geologist. Kyle was “lucky enough” to land a job with Oregon Water Resources Department in Bend in 1990 and has worked for the Department ever since. He has held positions of Watermaster Technician, Hydrogeologist, Watermaster, and currently, Region Manager for the South-Central Region, which includes the Deschutes, Klamath, and Lake Basins.
Kyle has been a board member of the Deschutes River Conservancy since 2001 and was a founding member of the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. He resigned from the board after 18 years in 2014. Kyle enjoys fishing, cross-country skiing, mountain and road cycling, as well as cyclocross racing. He enjoys most aspects of outdoor activities with his two sons. Kyle acknowledges that water management is an important, challenging, yet rewarding job and that he never runs out of things to do or address. He says that most of all, there is much work to be done in restoring streams in the Basin back to a more natural and improved state.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Oregon (OLLI-UO) in Central Oregon invites community members to participate in our First Friday Talks in partnership with the Deschutes Public Library. OLLI-UO is an intellectual and social community of engaged adult learners, connecting members to university faculty and professionals in respective fields. A six-month or yearlong membership allows participation in a variety of lectures, courses, peer-led study and discussion groups, educational tours, field trips, and social events.