Water is everything': Oregon remains in drought despite recent rain

In regards to water, 2015 has not been a good year for the Pacific Northwest. "This last year was the worst year I've seen in my 17 years here, and it's probably been the worst in 25 years," said Michael Mattick. Mattick is the water master for District 2 in Oregon, which governs most of Lane and Linn counties. In essence, he is a referee who tries to make sure everyone using water takes only as much as they're allowed. "Lots of snow and lots of rain makes my job a lot easier," he said. That hasn't been the case this year. Western Oregon and the Cascades saw severe to extreme levels of drought this past year.