No Water for Willamette Water!

An Administrative Law Judge has recommended that Greg Demers and the McDougal Brothers’ Willamette Water Company not be given a 34 cfs (22 million gallon a day) water right out of the McKenzie River. While the final decision lies with the Water Resources Department, Judge James Han called WWC’s bid for water control “speculative.”

EW has been following the effort to get water from the McKenzie River by the land developers for over a year, take a look back at Freshwater Fisticuffs, Cry Me a River and Small Town Strip Mine for the history of the issue.  And Demers and the McDougals continue to come under fire for their ongoing efforts to turn scenic Parvin Butte into a gravel mine.

For more on the judge’s decision, see this week’s EW.