In Central Oregon our most common riverfront properties are found on the Big Deschutes and Little Deschutes Rivers. Both of these rivers are regulated by a series of dams the largest being the dam that holds back the water for Wickiup Reservoir.
A common question from buyers looking at river front property in La Pine, Three Rivers South, Sunriver and Bend is how often it floods. In general most of us are accustom to rivers flooding, we see it every spring on the news. Although the Big Deschutes & Little Deschutes rivers do rise, and occasionally flow over the banks rarely if ever see flooding. I have lived in Central Oregon most of my life. Only once can I remember where the Little Deschutes River flooded in a manner to cause difficulties for a community. That “flood” was a short period of time and the biggest issue was an inconvenience and not property damages.
See All River Front HomesCentral Oregon is a volcanic area and our soil is very porous which allows the water to drain into the ground very rapidly.
When purchasing a riverfront property there are a couple of things to keep in mind. There are regulations by the county, city and associations along the river that may govern what you can and can not do along the river. For example to have a dock on the river you must have a certain amount of river frontage. You must build away from the river and so on.
Living along these rivers sounds so romantic! The wild life and sunsets sound charming.
Dena; We don’t see the flooding that most would expect on our rivers. The rivers in our area are regulated with an extensive dam system. Most of the homes are built above the flood line and not many are in the flood plain….
The Deschutes system is very stable due to the porous geology of the cascades and the timing of snow melt, plus the reservoirs. We agree, flooding is not the issue here. Erosion can be a significant issue depending on the location of a riverfront property. The quality of the trout fishery is also very dependent upon where the property lies along this river. It is true, waterfront property is probably the most technical type of property, yet it can yield the greatest rewards.