Harney Place-Based Water Planning: A Pilot Update May 10, 2018 Photo Credit: Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

Where Are We Now?: An Overview

A Collaborative Vision “A sustainably managed supply of quality water for people, the economy, and the environment.”

The Harney Basin Collaborative 131 E-mail Listserve Subscribers 7 Quarterly Meetings since September 2016 ~30-60 people per meeting 4 Currently Active Working Groups Agriculture Domestic Well/Municipal Water Ecology Vegetation Management 19 Working Group meetings, so far… ~15-20 people per meeting

The Harney Basin Collaborative Working on Step 2 and Step 3 Concurrently: Working Groups are continuing to research, compile, and synthesize existing technical information and local knowledge/expertise Findings are shared with the full Collaborative through verbal updates and various deliverables

The Harney Basin Collaborative Working on Step 2 and Step 3 Concurrently: Working Groups are continuing to research, compile, and synthesize existing technical information and local knowledge/expertise Findings are shared with the full Collaborative through verbal updates and various deliverables We receive quarterly updates and preliminary findings from the USGS/OWRD Groundwater Study and stay in communication with Groundwater Study Team Members in the interim

The Harney Basin Collaborative Working on Step 2 and Step 3 Concurrently: Working Groups are continuing to research, compile, and synthesize existing technical information and local knowledge/expertise Findings are shared with the full Collaborative through verbal updates and various deliverables We receive quarterly updates and preliminary findings from the USGS/OWRD Groundwater Study and stay in communication with Groundwater Study Team Members in the interim Bonus Information: Harney County Court & Oregon Business Council are currently funding the first phase of a socioeconomic analysis around the value of water in the basin

Step 1 - Building a Collaborative: Progress and Challenges

Key Factors in Sustaining Interest Step 1: Clear call to action

Our Call to Action: Figure 1: Aquifer Recharge in Relation to Permitted and Estimated Water Use (from OWRD, 2016)  

Key Factors in Sustaining Interest Step 1: Clear call to action

Key Factors in Sustaining Interest Step 1: Clear call to action Opportunity to shape our water future

Building a Collaborative Key Factors in Building a Collaborative Step 1: Personal outreach has been key to building and maintaining collaborative energy: One-on-one home visits Informal coffee conversations Phone calls, phone calls, phone calls

Challenges in Building & Maintaining Collaborative Step 1: There is uncertainty about whether the Collaborative’s plan will have weight Some believe that there is already a pre-determined outcome Some desire to have OWRD fix the problem

Challenges in Building & Maintaining Collaborative Step 1: Didn’t talk to enough (and diverse enough) local community members Building respect and balanced representation takes times There are diverse interests, each of which is a priority People tend to stay in their silos

So where do we begin? Focus and integration: Conceptual Model developed with input from OSU hydrogeologist Helps identify keys areas where management solutions will have largest impact Working Groups were formed around the Conceptual Model

It’s difficult, but people are showing up… 131 E-mail Listserve Subscribers 7 Quarterly Meetings since September 2016 ~30-60 people per meeting 4 Currently Active Working Groups Agriculture Domestic Well/Municipal Water Ecology Vegetation Management 19 Working Group meetings, so far… ~15-20 people per meeting

Step 2 - Building a Shared Understanding: Findings and Deliverables

Deliverables: Information & Discussion Step 2 Working Group Progress Reports Two-page summary of findings to date Issue Backgrounders: Agriculture Rural Domestic Well Municipal Water Quality (in development) State of the Basin Report (in development, deliverable for Step 2)

What We’ve Discovered: From The 30,000-Foot View Step 2: Water is over-appropriated 2) Shared sacrifice will be required (there’s no way around it) 3) The innovation needed for solutions may not be attainable under current rules/policy/law

The Overall Value of PBP for the Harney Basin The investment into and new opportunities for our community Inclusion of diverse perspectives can provide ideas that are more robust and well thought out Higher potential for innovative solutions Could yield real results and improved social, economic, and ecological resilience around water

Thank you. Mark Owens: mark.owens@co.harney.or.us Brenda Smith: director@highdesertpartnership.org Photo Credit: Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge