Tumalo Creek is a treasured natural resource in Central Oregon. Many residents spend time in Shevlin Park, a peaceful and beautiful refuge for bikers and runners alike. The rushing waters of Tumalo Falls is usually the first thing we show off to our visitors.

View Tumalo Creek's current rate of flow here.

With the proposed new system, the City plans to increase withdrawals from the creek to more than two times the level of current withdrawals. The City used 2 billion gallons of creek water in 2010. (City of Bend Production Records.) The report relied on by Council when it voted to proceed with the new surface water system projects that the new system will increase withdrawals of creek water to 4.6 billion gallons. (October 27, 2010, HDR Technical Memorandum to City Staff at Table A-2.). In the graph below, the blue line shows the amount of water Bend currently takes from Tumalo Creek for municipal use. The red line shows how much the proposal for the SWIP plans to take. This project will have a huge impact on the creek.

The Middle Deschutes River should be a great habitat for trout and other fish, but because of temperature and flow issues, there are not nearly as many fish as there could be. The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council "has done a study that shows high flows from Tumalo Creek can cool down the Middle Deschutes. For example, on one day in June 2006, 170 cubic feet per second, or cfs, of 52-degree water from Tumalo Creek flowed into Deschutes River, which was at 102 cfs and 67 degrees. The water downstream of the convergence was 59 degrees." (http://waterwatch.org/pressroom/press-clips/piping-project-could-help-fish-return-to-middle-deschutes). It is clear that keeping water in Tumalo Creek has real value, so why didn't the City of Bend take environmental impacts into account during its decision-making process?