Waterways around the region are protected from development and pollution by a number of programs. Some are in the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers system.
Oregon offers its own kind of protection under the designation of "Outstanding Resource Waters." The state Environmental Quality Commissioner recently agreed to move ahead with the designation for both Waldo Lake and Crater Lake, both in the Cascades.
The Department of Environmental Quality is embarking on the planning process. DEQ Director Richard Whitman is our guest.