Tumalo Irrigation District

05-05-26: Flows have increased and we finally have enough water to deliver 70%. The crew is out making adjustments now. If you don't feel that you are getting 70% or that your gate or valve needs adjusted, please call the office and we will dispatch a ditch rider. 541-382-3053

04-30-26: We are starting to see minor flow increases on Tumalo Creek. Field staff is still moving water around the ditches to get everyone some flow. Continue to expect shortages and rolling outages, but we are anticipating flows will increase by Monday, and staff will begin making adjustments on the open ditches at that time. 

04-27-26: Tumalo Creek dropped another 20 cfs overnight. We are bringing in water from Crescent, however it will take 5 days travel time before we can divert it into our system. Expect rolling outages throughout the District over the next 7 days as we work on re-balancing the system. 

04-24-26: There has been no increase in Tumalo Creek's flows due to weather. The field crew is still working hard to spread the available supply around. REMINDER: Throwing yard debris, clippings and pinecones, in the ditches does not help, and affects the delivery of water to your downstream neighbors. 

04-20-26: Staff is aware of low flows and are actively working to deliver any water they can. We ask that you limit your phone calls if possible.  

Our water supply is solely dependent on the weather, so we have no way to predict when we will have to begin rotation, or when we will have to shut off for the season.

What we know now:

• We are attempting to deliver 70%, but Tumalo Creek is currently very low and we are experiencing a district wide shortage of water.
• Once Tumalo Creek levels drop later in the spring, we will start pulling from Crescent Lake. At that time we will start the rotation.
• Generally, the earliest Tumalo Creek runs out is the 3rd week of June and the latest is the 3rd week of July. However, this year it could be even sooner, as we have had the worst year of snowpack levels since the 1970’s.
• At this time, the District Manager’s best guess is that we will be lucky if we can make it to a September shut-off date.

The water start date was moved up to April 1st for the 2026 irrigation season. Please keep in mind the first few weeks of the season you should expect low and intermittent flows. Please call the office in advance to be put on the list if you want water! (541-382-3053) We do not automatically open everyone’s gates and valves.

Read a brief overview of where our water supply comes from here.

To view  Crescent Lake's level, click here. This data is updated daily and shows current data about the Deschutes River Basin Storage and Discharge.

To view Tumalo Creek's daily flow, click here.

The OSU Extension Service included an article in their most recent newsletter on page 4 about Drought Year Management. If you are interested in reading this article you can view the newsletter here.

The Oregon Water Resources Department maintains a drought website that provides the status of current water conditions and state drought declarations, as well as information on what you can do to use water wisely.  Visit their drought page here.

View Current Hydromet readings for the Deschutes Basin here.