1. Oregon’s Investment in a Water Future
Douglas Woodcock
Deputy Director,
Oregon Water Resources Department
Bobby Cochran
Senior Fellow,
National Policy Consensus Center
March 19, 2019

2. Where Oregon’s Investment is Strong
Long-standing commitment to collaborative planning and investment
Oregon Plan for Salmon & Watersheds
Watershed councils, focused investment partnerships, and place-based water planning
The Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds organized specific actions, or measures, around the factors that contributed to the decline in fish populations and watershed health. Most of these actions focused on improvement of water quality and quantity and habitat restoration. Landowners and other private citizens, community organizations, interest groups, and all levels of government came together to organize, fund, and implement these measures. Watershed councils and soil and water conservation districts have led efforts in many watersheds.
The 4 elements of the Plan:
Voluntary restoration actions by private landowners
Coordinated state and federal agency and tribal actions
Monitoring watershed health, water quality, and salmon recovery
Strong scientific oversight by the Independent Multidisciplinary Science Team (IMST)
Western States Water Council

3. Where Oregon’s Investment is Strong
Good leverage of state and federal $, especially for rural communities
Business Oregon
Investment leverages USDA Rural Development & Economic Development Admin $
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
$ fund some of the natural infrastructure components of broader projects
Business Oregon investment leverages USDA Rural Development & Economic Development Admin $
OWEB $ funds some of the natural infrastructure components of broader projects
Western States Water Council

4. Where Oregon’s Investment is Strong
Some really innovative localities
Prineville
John Day
Deschutes River Basin
Tualatin River Basin
Prineville system development charges high (3X) needed a new wastewater plant, created wetland treatment system (120 ac, multipurpose wetland)
Future treatment costs went from $62M to $7.7
Civic improvement, recreation, education and birds
City of John Day replacing their wastewater treatment plant utilizing a water reuse hydroponics system, redesigning downtown around the plant
Deschutes Basin
Focused investment partnership $4M
DRC used funding from this grant to support its work on Whychus Creek with Three Sisters Irrigation District and to increase streamflow on McKay Creek, a tributary to the Crooked River.
With PGE partnering w CTWS, on track to award $21 million by 2020 for projects such as removing fish passage barriers, stabilizing stream banks, restoring channels and floodplains and water conservation projects.
Tualatin – clean water services, purchase water from Scoggins for releases;
Western States Water Council

5. Water: Too Precious to Use Just Once
Crooked River Wetlands Complex
“One water” Best in show for Sustainable Water Challenge; Motto “Quality not History”

6. Where We Are Feeling Good about Future Investment
Taking a 100-year holistic view
Natural and built infrastructure
Planning for too little water, too much water, clean water, and habitat
Engaging new water leaders—Tribes, Social Justice, Business
Stakeholders are interested
Stakeholders are excited more investment—Agriculture, environment, business
For these few innovative locales there are hundreds of communities that do not have the resources to focus that innovation
To address a growing population, climate change and it’s persistent droughts and fires and aging infrastructure, we are developing a broad coalition of interested parties to explore how we can build a long range water infrastructure plan
A statewide investment across many sectors
Western States Water Council

7. Where We Need Improvement
Not a long history of coordinated state leadership on water
Heavy reliance on federal and local $
State not in business of delivering water, and is just now supporting planning and information with state $
Dealing with the Oregon’s myth of water everywhere
Public not communicating an urgency
A lot of investment needs at the Legislature (e.g., schools)
Western States Water Council

8. Where We Could Use Your Help
What needs to be in place for a successful funding ask? What role did the state agencies play? Governor? Legislature? And what did those folks do that was more or less helpful? What work happened in advance to make sure communities were ready to use the new $ wisely?
We have a lot of questions but we are encourages by the enthusiasm we are receiving for giving infrastructure and our past investments the attention they deserve.
What needs to be in place for a successful funding ask?
A good needs assessment and business case?
Stakeholder coalitions?
How have you gotten communities ready to use investment well?
Information and technical assistance
Capacity funding
Sideboards
What model did you use?
Where have you seen agencies be most helpful in supporting efforts for new investment?
Information?
Stakeholder coordination?
Staying out of the way?
Western States Water Council

9. Thank you.
What needs to be in place for a successful funding ask?
A good needs assessment and business case?
Stakeholder coalitions?
How have you gotten communities ready to use investment well?
Information and technical assistance
Capacity funding
Sideboards
What model did you use?
Where have you seen agencies be most helpful in supporting efforts for new investment?
Information?
Stakeholder coordination?
Staying out of the way?
Western States Water Council