OWRD to hold three community meetings in Eastern Oregon
By Logan Bagett on Thursday, May 11th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
HERMISTON / JOHN DAY / ONTARIO – The OWRD has scheduled community conversations throughout the state to gather public input on updates to Oregon’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy. For Eastern Oregon meetings will be held in Hermiston, John Day and Ontario. Find the agency’s release below:
(Press Release from the Oregon Water Resources Department)
The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) is seeking public input on updates to the states Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) – Oregon’s framework for better understanding and meeting the state’s instream and out-of-stream water needs.
The IWRS is updated about once every five years and helps guide the work and funding of state water agencies. It also helps inform state legislature about important water issues in Oregon. OWRD is partnering with Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT) to gather feedback from the public for this round of updates through an online survey and during in-person community conversations (May – June 2023). A virtual meeting option has also been added for those that cannot attend in person.
“Feedback from these surveys and meetings is crucial in creating a plan for Oregon’s water future that reflects the public’s diverse water needs, concerns and opinions” said Crystal Grinnell, IWRS Specialist with OWRD.
Following the surveys and meetings, OKT will report findings to OWRD which will be used to draft the IWRS update. An interagency team including OWRD, the Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Department of Land Conservation and Development and several other agencies will then work together on the draft before public reviews in October 2023 and January 2024. Following these reviews, the Water Resources Commission will be slated to adopt the updated IWRS in early 2024.
With input from broad audiences across Oregon, the updated IWRS will identify critical water challenges and their potential solutions in the context of climate change, guide agency planning and budget requests, and identify changes needed surrounding equitable water policy. The meetings and survey will also help OWRD understand how communities would like to stay informed about water issues and the IWRS in hopes of boosting public contributions to conversations about water.
Learn more about the IWRS here.
See below for a link to the survey and a list of community conversations currently scheduled with OKT.
Online IWRS Survey
Please take our survey here.
In-person Community Conversations
Sign up for a community conversation nearest to you by clicking the link, below.
English – https://bit.ly/water-conversations
Spanish – https://bit.ly/reunión-agua
#1 – Seaside
When: Thursday, May 11 from 6 – 8 p.m.
Where: Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside, OR 97138
#2 – Hermiston
When: Tuesday, May 16 from 6 – 8 p.m.
Where: Hermiston Community Center, 415 S Hwy 395, Hermiston OR, 97838
#3 – John Day
When: Wednesday, May 17 from 6 – 8 p.m.
Where: Canyon City Community Hall, 123 Washington St, Canyon City, OR 97820
#4 – Roseburg
When: Tuesday, May 23 from 6 – 8 p.m.
Where: Aviva Health Conference Room, 150 Northeast Kenneth Ford Drive, Roseburg, OR 97470
#5 – Corvallis
When: Wednesday, May 24 from 6 – 8 p.m.
Where: Tunison Community Room, 365 SW Tunison Ave, Corvallis, OR 97333
#6 – Madras
When: Wednesday, June 7 from 6 – 8 p.m.
Where: COCC Madras Community Room, 1170 E Ashwood Road, Madras, OR 97741
#7 – Ontario
When: Thursday, June 8 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Ontario Community Library Meeting Room, 388 SW 2nd Ave, Ontario, OR 97914
Virtual Community Conversation
We would love to see you at an in-person event but if you are unable to attend, please join our virtual meeting.
When: Wednesday, May 31 from 12 – 1:30 p.m.
Where: Zoom – https://bit.ly/zoom-water-convo
The Oregon Water Resources Department is the state agency charged with studying, allocating, and distributing water in Oregon. Visit www.oregon.gov/owrd.
