A voluntary program of incentives for land owners along the two rivers in Oregon, the Mckenzie River east of Eugene and the Rogue River near Medford, provides incentives for maintaining natural conditions along the river bed.
Devan Schwartz reports on a pair of programs meant to deliver improvements in water quality along two rivers in Oregon.
The first example is the Voluntary Incentives Program, led by the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB). Under the pilot project landowners along the McKenzie River, “would be paid for EWEB to have access to a small swath of land near the river. That swath would then managed for the landowners to improve or maintain the habitat.”
The Medford program, launched in 2012, is called a thermal trading system, arising out of a need for alternatives for expensive proposals to cool the river for salmon habitat.
“The river was at risk of becoming too warm for salmon and falling short of federal clean-water standards. Medford considered installing two chillers to cool the water. That would have cost about $15 million.
Instead, Medford launched a program in 2012 that pays between $100 and $300 per acre for easements from landowners to plant trees on their property. The $8 million cost for the program is just more than half that of the chillers.”
Not everyone agrees about how effective voluntary programs like these are, and some have called for more comprehensive programs of stream protection.
FULL STORY: Improving River Health With Natural Infrastructure And Incentives

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie