SALEM — The Oregon Water Resources Department is updating its long-term plan to meet water needs statewide, and is asking the public to weigh in.

The agency will host a series of upcoming meetings to garner input on the state’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy, or IWRS, which provides recommendations for solving critical water quality, quantity and ecosystem challenges.

A revised IWRS is adopted every five years. It was first approved in 2012 and most recently updated in 2017.

As part of the process, OWRD representatives will travel to seven cities across Oregon between May 11 and June 8 to hear from residents about water issues in their communities. The first meeting will be May 11 in Seaside.

The department is also partnering with Oregon’s Kitchen Table, a Portland-based nonprofit, to gather feedback through an online survey that will go live in May.

“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 for OWRD.

The 2017 IWRS included 51 recommendations, ranging from collecting more data about groundwater supplies to strengthening water quality and quantity permitting programs.

Though it does not authorize any specific projects, Grinnell said the IWRS is a high-level document for state and federal agencies to better understand and meet future water demands.

“The way that (recommendations) get implemented would differ depending on the agency,” she said.

For example, Grinnell said the 2017 IWRS has led to the development of an online portal through the state Department of Environmental Quality where groups and individuals can access water quality and quantity data all in one place.

That project is still a few years from being completed, she said.

Public feedback is imperative for the plan to reflect water needs over the next five years, Grinnell said. She encouraged farmers and ranchers to participate.

“If they participate in the public meetings or survey, that will help bring forward their concerns,” Grinnell said. “It would also highlight the need for new policies or revised policies.”

Once the survey and meetings are done, Grinnell said a team representing 18 state agencies — including OWRD, DEQ and the Department of Agriculture — will draft a revised IWRS. The draft will be presented for public comment in October, with final adoption likely in early 2024.

“We just have so many diverse water needs and water issues in the state,” she said. “I think that’s an important reason we’re going to all different parts of the state. We want to hear what they care about, and what solutions they can offer.”

The Oregon Water Resources Department will host seven upcoming meetings in communities across the state to discuss the Integrated Water Resources Strategy, or IWRS.

Food and child care will be provided at each meeting. 

Seaside

• May 11, 6-8 p.m.

• Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Ave. A.

Hermiston

• May 16, 6-8 p.m.

• Hermiston Community Center, 415 S. Highway 395.

John Day

• May 17, 6-8 p.m. 

• Canyon City Community Hall, 123 Washington St.

Roseburg

• May 23, 6-8 p.m.

• Aviva Health Conference Room, 150 NE Kenneth Ford Drive.

Corvallis

• May 24, 6-8 p.m.

• Tunison Community Room, 365 SW Tunison Ave.

Madras

• June 7, 6-8 p.m.

• COCC Madras Community Room, 1170 E. Ashwood Road.

Ontario

• June 8, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

• Ontario Community Library Meeting Room, 388 SW 2nd Ave.

For more information about Oregon’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy, visit https://bit.ly/3LNOy8M.

To sign up for a link to the IWRS survey in May, visit https://bit.ly/3HBRL8X.