OSU Study Looks at McKenzie Flows

As winter turns to spring, the McKenzie River flows toward Eugene with impressive force. While powerful, the river is not invincible — in fact, snow-fed rivers with slow drainage systems like the McKenzie are more susceptible to the effects of climate change than other kinds of river systems, according to a new study out of OSU in Corvallis.

Rivers like the McKenzie in the high Cascades water system are more vulnerable to climate change partly because of the unique geological formations in the Cascades. According to Gordon Grant, a fluvial geomorphologist with the Forest Service and co-author of the study, McKenzie Pass in the Cascades Range serves as a good example because its lava flows are full of fractures and holes.

Melted snow or rain that seeps into the porous rock at McKenzie Pass takes longer to reach a non-permeable surface, and after that, it is slowed even more by a lack of steepness. “It’s basically the same thing as if you were on a bicycle,” Grant says. “If you were going downhill and it wasn’t steep, you wouldn’t go as fast.”

This slowness allows the water to gradually flow into river systems, lasting into late summer. The study looked at 81 watersheds over a 60-year period and determined that river systems with less steepness and more permeability will see diminished late summer flows as the climate warms.

But this doesn’t mean the water will disappear anytime soon; in fact, Grant says these kinds of groundwater systems allow Oregon to have more water than other places. “But if you follow this idea that slow, snow-fed systems will lose the most water in the late season, we’ll have less water than we have now,” Grant says. This could affect water uses, including power generation, irrigation and fish survival.

This information probably won’t spur much action to slow climate change, according to a recent Oregon Sea Grant survey. The online survey polled 348 Oregon coast leaders, and while 60 percent of them acknowledged that climate change is happening, and most believe that their professional efforts toward addressing climate change would benefit the community, it was ranked less of a concern than a floundering economy or a tsunami threat.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!