February 1, 2001
John Redding
(208) 378-5212
Vicki Kellerman
(208) 378-5326

Reclamation Updates Prineville Reservoir RMP

The Bureau of Reclamation has begun the process of updating its 10-year Resource Management Plan for Prineville Reservoir located on the Crooked River 15 miles southeast of Prineville, Oregon.

The RMP update will be the blueprint for the future use, management, and development of lands adjacent to this popular recreation destination. By updating the management plan, Reclamation will be responding to changing conditions at the site since the initial RMP for Prineville Reservoir was prepared in 1992.

The reservoir is impounded by Bowman Dam, built in 1961 as part of Reclamation’s Crooked River Project which was authorized for irrigation storage, flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife management. The RMP will not address water operations or water allocation which is being covered in a separate study.

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is a managing partner on most of the recreation lands under Reclamation jurisdiction surrounding the reservoir including Prineville State Park. OPRD is now in the process of preparing a master plan for Prineville State Park. OPRD and Reclamation will be joining efforts to develop a coordinated public involvement process and final plan.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also partnered with Reclamation to manage the Prineville Reservoir State Wildlife Area located along the eastern end of the reservoir. ODFW will be involved in the RMP planning process with other stakeholders.

With the rapid growth in population in Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley the reservoir and adjacent lands have become increasingly important recreation sites since the preparation of the 1992 RMP.

Other issues to be addressed in the updated RMP include balancing recreation use and wildlife habitat, protection of natural resources, providing for public health and safety, and off-road vehicle management.

Reclamation is authorized to prepare the RMP by Public Law 102-575, the Reclamation Recreation Management Act, passed by Congress in 1992. In addition, the National Environmental Policy Act requires Reclamation to examine the potential environmental effects of implementing the RMP. The RMP is intended to guide Reclamation’s future management of the reservoir over the next 10 years.

For more information about Reclamation’s RMP process at Prineville Reservoir or to be included on a mailing list, contact Vicki Kellerman, Prineville RMP Team Leader at (208) 378-5326 or by fax at (208) 378-5305. Kellerman can be reached by e-mail at: vkellerman@pn.usbr.gov