June 26, 2023 3:00 a.m.

Last week Senator Ron Wyden reintroduced a bill he said will improve the resilience and health of the nation’s watershed – the land leading into streams, rivers or lake – as Oregon and the entire American West continue to suffer from severe drought.

Wyden said, “Watersheds play an essential role in the health and economic livelihood of local communities, supporting safe drinking water for communities, outdoor recreation and productive fisheries. All of this is at risk because of the climate crisis”. Wyden said, “More must be done to strengthen the health and resilience of our nation’s watersheds. My Watersheds Results Act creates science-driven, cost-effective tools to protect the land that touches all of our nation’s waterways and provide stability for generations to come”.

Wyden’s release said watersheds are made up of millions of acres of rivers and streams, farms and rangeland, forests and developed towns and cities, with restoration needs often varying dramatically from acre to acre. Wyden said his proposal – first introduced in the last session of Congress – would use the best scientific and data analysis to identify the most effective acres where watershed restoration work would generate the greatest environmental results at the best value for taxpayers. The Interior Department, Agriculture Department and Environmental Protection Agency would coordinate to establish several watershed restoration programs across the country.

A summary of the legislation is linked: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/watershed_results_act_one-pager.pdf