The quality of water in the Bend urban growth boundary is a matter of major importance. Not only is water necessary for the needs of residential, commercial, and industrial users, but it supports many of the recreational and scenic opportunities that make the Bend area a desirable place to live.

In 2013, the City Council adopted the 2013 Water Public Facility Plan (WPFP). The Council adopted this version of the WPFP through Ordinance No. 2194, after a previous version of the WPFP was remanded from the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) (See LUBA No. 2012-043). This 2013 WPFP was subsequently appealed to, and later affirmed by LUBA in September 2013 (See LUBA No. 2013-037).

Between 2019 and 2021, the City engaged a project team to develop an Integrated Water System Master Plan (iWSMP). This integrated plan included: 1) an updated Water System Master Plan for the City of Bend water utility; 2) a Water Management and Conservation Plan to maintain the City’s water rights with the Oregon Water Resources Department, and; 3) a Goal 11 Water Public Facility Plan. The 2021 Water PFP replaces the 2013 Water PFP as Appendix G to the Bend Comprehensive Plan. The 2021 Water PFP will serve as the Goal 11 public facility plan for water in the Bend UGB, and identifies the capital improvements needed to serve the existing and planned land uses within Bend’s UGB.

The final Integrated Water System Master Plan (2021) provides the factual base on the City’s current and future water facilities and infrastructure for the 2021 Water Public Facility Plan. This final document includes the required inventory and general assessment of the City’s water facilities and systems. The iWSMP also includes information and documentation of the City’s water rights and supply, including consideration of factors that will influence both surface and groundwater supplies such as droughts, forest fires, and extreme weather patterns caused by climate change. The 2021 Water PFP also relies on planning documents and data for the water facilities and infrastructure of the Avion Water Company and Roats Water System.