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

2. Where Are We Now?:
An Overview

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

4. The Harney Basin Collaborative
131 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Step 1 - Building a Collaborative: Progress and Challenges

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

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

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

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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. It’s difficult, but people are showing up…
131 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

18. Step 2 - Building a Shared Understanding: Findings and Deliverables

19. 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)

20. 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

21. 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

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