The Ward Road–Gosney Road segment was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 18, 2019. Creating canals through the Central Oregon plain required the most modern technology and engineering in its day. The land contains thick layer of basalt—a dense, abrasive volcanic rock—underlying relatively thin soils with scant organic matter, typical of the Great Basin arid desert. Canal routes were chosen carefully to use gravity (instead of pumps) and minimize the amount of excavation. Slightly more than half the system is in Deschutes County, a little less than half in Crook County, and roughly 5% in Jefferson County. The source of the entire system is the Deschutes River: The Central Oregon Canal diversion is near the southwestern corner of Bend at . It generally flows eastward about before turning northward. The Pilot Butte Canal diversion is at the north end of downtown Bend at and generally flows northward, closely following U.S. Highway 97. A  high flume carries Pilot Butte Canal across the Crooked River at .