Oregon's Pesticide Stewardship Partnership Program began in 2002 and started in the Middle Deschutes watershed in 2012.  The program provides a non-regulatory, voluntary approach to reduce the apprearance of pesticides in our rivers and streams using monitoring results to guide community outreach,.

The  SWCD facilitates the Middle Deschutes PSP.  The PSP consists of outreach to landowners to reduce pesticide detections in local waterways, guided by water quality monitoring.  PSP members include Jefferson County, Helena, Wilbur-Ellis-Pratum, NUID, Central Oregon Seeds, Inc, OSU, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and ODA

Water is analyzed at five sites in four drainages (Campbell Creek, Mud Springs, Rattlesnake, and Culver drain).  Each location is sampled during the irrigation season (March through October).  All samples are collected in accordance with protocols established by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and ODA.

Pesticide concentrations are compared with levels set to protect aquatic life ("aquatic  life benchmarks").  “Pesticides of Concern” are detected most often and/or at concerning concentrations.  Monitoring shows pesticides are entering the Deschutes River.  We don’t know what percentage are entering waterways via wind drift, overland flows, or infiltration to groundwater.

PSP Objectives, set by the PSP in 2023:  By December 2028,

1.        All 2024 Pesticides of Concern (POC) are below aquatic life benchmarks

• Currently below: Dimethoate, Prometryn & Sulfometuron methyl
• Barely above: Diuron & Oxyfluorfen
• Above:  Imidacloprid & Linuron

2.       Reduce detection frequency by 25% of the four highest detected pesticides of 2023.

• AMPA and Glyphosate are the highest (73 and 58%, respectively).  However, they are not High POCs, which is not what the PSP is focusing on.
• The MDPSP will focus on the High POCs  with the highest detection frequencies:   Diuron (55%, decrease to 41%), Linuron (48% to 36%), Prometryn (40% to 30%).

3.       Reduce the # of High POCs to <3.