Fall 2019 Outreach Process
During the fall and winter of 2019, the Governor's Natural Resources Office and state agencies listened, learned, and gathered information about the 100-Year Water Vision and its associated goals and problem statements. Objectives included:
- Refine the vision, problem statement, and goals as appropriate from feedback received;
- Building on the Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS), increase understanding of available data and gaps in data related to current surface and groundwater condition, as well as built and natural water infrastructure conditions and needs;
- Building on the IWRS, increase identification of priority data needs for effective built and natural water infrastructure decision-making;
- Increase knowledge of current state and federal funding available for water system investments and funding gaps; and
- Increase awareness by water leaders of the context around the 100-Year Water Vision and its goals, including examples.
Individuals and organizations across Oregon were offered a variety of ways to engage with the 100-Year Water Vision in person and online.
Oregonians responded to the Water Vision at OregonWaterVision.org by filling out a 3-question survey. This platform engaged more than 320 participants.
Eight conversations held across Oregon and available via webinar for those unable to join in person engaged over 400 participants, and allowed water leaders to share, learn, and discuss the Vision's 4 major goal areas (Health, Safety, Environment, and Economy), learn from local water case studies, provide feedback on challenges and share their vision of success for Oregon's water future.
The conversations in each community were unique to the local challenges and needs. The word clouds below are visual representations of the main themes discussed in each community.
Community Themes
More than 150 of those who use water data and information to plan, manage, and make decisions about water, gathered to help state agencies better define what we know and gaps in knowledge around natural and built water infrastructure, current surface and groundwater condition, and funding.
The State partnered with the Oregon Consensus to conduct more than 70 neutral interviews with a broad range of organizations who have an interest in Oregon's water future, as well as tribes and local governments. Interviewees helped us better understand challenges and opportunities related to Oregon's Water Vision and provided suggestions to ensure the Vision adequately and equitably reflects the diverse interests of Oregonians.
As sovereigns, tribes were viewed as individual sovereign nations and not just another stakeholder group. While consulting with sovereign nations is legally defined similarly, engagement, leadership, values and community challenges within each tribe are completely unique. It is critical to recognize that no one tribe can speak for another. To ensure the tribes were engaged in the Water Vision, the state met formally with 7 of the 9 tribes, and had conversations the other 2 tribes.