The Oregon Water Conference CH2M Hill Alumni Center – Oregon State University May 24, 2011 Oregon’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy

Brenda Bateman, Project Manager Alyssa Mucken, Oregon Water Resources Department Bruce McIntosh, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Gene Foster, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Stephanie Page, Oregon Department of Agriculture The Oregon Water Conference CH2M Hill Alumni Center – Oregon State University May 24, 2011

Oregon’s House Bill 3369 (2009) Directs WRD to lead efforts to “understand and meet” Oregon’s water needs.” Partner with DEQ, ODFW, ODA, other agencies, tribes, stakeholders, public Account for coming pressures Purpose

Oregon Has Many Water Issues to Address  Fully allocated streams  Declining aquifers  Approximately 15,000 stream miles impaired  Area-wide groundwater contamination  Fish populations at a fraction of historic levels  Habitat loss, deteriorating infrastructure, etc.

Impaired Waters

Clean Water Plans

Low Summer Flows

Higher Winter Flows

Current Climate

Future Climate Scenario

Water and Agriculture Irrigated farms produced over 80% of the total value of Oregon’s harvested crops Issues facing irrigators: - Climate change - Growing demands on water resources - Endangered species - Energy costs - Incentives - Technical assistance

Water and Agriculture Barriers to Greater Efficiency: - Up-front cost - Difficulty securing financing - Other investments, such as labor saving investments have quicker payback - Operational costs – energy and labor may go up even as water use goes down - Awareness of opportunities and incentives 41% of irrigated farms reported improvements between to USDA-NASS

Fish Species

Opportunities to Restore Streamflows

Where are we today? Phase I: Setting the Stage (Fall 2009) Phase II: Identifying Water Needs (Early 2010) Phase III: Developing Recommended Actions ( ) Phase IV: Producing the 1 st Strategy (2012 ) Phase V: Implementation & Evaluation ( )

Vision Goals Objectives Critical Issues Guiding Principles Recommended Actions IWRS Framework

Recommended Actions How can we meet Oregon’s water needs today, and into the future?

Next Steps in the Strategy → Develop the draft Strategy for public release Fall 2011 → Vet, revise, and release final version Summer 2012 → Water Resources Commission notify other Boards → Adopt Fall 2012 → Deliver to Legislative Assembly in 2013, with recommendations → Update every five years

How can you be involved in the Strategy?  Find information on our website (  Join the electronic mailing list   Send us your thoughts   Alyssa Mucken,

Thank You! Questions?