Fish on the Run, Irrigation Done!

Whether you use a hose or have an underground watering system to water your yard and garden, we are asking our water customers to help us keep water in the Clackamas River by reducing or shutting-off outdoor watering for the fall fish runs!

Warm and Dry Conditions Set the Stage for Increased Wildfire Activity, Diminished Water Supplies This Summer –  from the NDIS newsletter

Warm and dry conditions in May have caused snowpack to melt rapidly and earlier than normal across much of the Pacific Northwest. This rapid snowmelt and increased evaporative demand caused soils and vegetation to dry out very quickly, resulting in an early start to the fire season. Early snowmelt and the dry, warm conditions have also caused stream flows to rapidly decline, particularly west of the Cascade Range and in the Oregon Coast Range. Clackamas Oregon is currently in Severe Drought (D2), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and conditions are expected to persist over the next month. Until we get fall rains to help replenish the river, we all need to look at how to reduce our water use.

You are KEY to ensuring there is enough water in the river as fish start migrating up the Clackamas River. For the 7th year in a row, the CRWP are asking our customers to participate in our “Fish On the Run, Irrigation Done!” annual summer watering campaign. This annual campaign is designed to help the Clackamas River by reducing or shutting-off outdoor watering by the beginning of September for the fall Coho and Chinook salmon migration.

Balancing Water Supply and Demand

The balance between water supply and demand is crucial for ensuring the sustainable management of water resources for both people and fish. In our watershed the biggest factors that influence water supply is precipitation, or the amount of rainfall or snowfall that directly replenishes the Clackamas River. As water providers we are required to ensure you have water from your tap 24/7/365 days a year, but we see our communities water use (demand) double and triple during the summer months due to outdoor watering. Therefore, the less water you use, the less water we need to take out of the river.

We have information, technical assistance, conservation rebates, free landscape water audits and other water saving tools that will help you save water both inside and outside the home, but you are the KEY to reducing how much water we take from the river.

Whether you use a hose or have an underground irrigation system to water your yard and garden, and you care about protecting our river water for people and wildlife, this is your chance to be part of our annual “Fish On the Run, Irrigation Done!” campaign. The more water we can conserve the easier this journey will be for these threatened and endangered salmon species. Check out this year’s campaign newsletter, Summer Campaign E-Newsletter 2025

The chart below from PGE shows typical migration patterns and the months when salmon runs peak.

Find out more about what
Portland General Electric is
doing for salmon species in the
Clackamas River click here:

PGE Clackamas Project

To help encourage our customers to do their best in conserving their drinking water we have developed a water conservation meter which is evaluated weekly and notifies us of current river conditions and how much water we need to conserve. Currently our conservation meter is RED telling us the river levels are significantly low and we all need to “Reduce or turn off outdoor watering to keep water in the in the river for the Coho and Fall Chinook species.” 

To see the current water meter conditions, go to the Home Page. Click Here 

Current Drought Numbers in Clackamas County

STAY CONNECTED – Subscribe to NIDIS emails for the latest regional drought updates, webinars, and news. Or sign up to receive drought alerts when the U.S. Drought Monitor or U.S. Drought Outlook updates for your city/zip code by going here https://www.drought.gov/drought-alerts/signup

Current Drought Numbers in Clackamas County

• 375,992 people in Clackamas County are currently affected by drought.
• 100% of people in Clackamas County are affected by drought.
• 16th driest July on record, over the past 131 years, decrease of 1.87 inches from normal.
• 25th driest year to date over the past 131 years (January – June 2025) increase of 7.86 inches from normal.

Check out the resources below to find out what kind of changes you can make to your outdoor watering to ensure that you are using our drinking water in the most efficient ways possible. The more water we can keep in the river the easier this journey will be for these threatened and endangered salmon species.  Some of these resources are not availalbe to City of Lake Oswego or City of Tigard customers.

Do Your Part to Keep Water in the Clackamas River.