Integrated Water Resources Strategy: Oregon IWRS
IWRS means Oregon’s statewide Integrated Water Resources Strategy. On November 12, 2024, six Oregon departments hosted a public meeting to discuss IWRS priorities for the next five to 7 years. Sponsoring departments included:
- Water Resources Department
- Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Department of Environmental Quality
- Department of Agriculture
- Watershed Enhancement Board
- Department of Land Conservation and Development
Over 50 people attended both online and in person in Salem, including Schroeder Law Offices, to learn what the agencies believed were the most important actions for the state to take related to water quality and quantity concerns.
What IWRS Is
The IWRS is a state-wide initiative for inter-agency communication to understand Oregon’s instream and out-of-stream water needs. Governor Kotek requested a pause on IWRS after the agencies issued the first draft of the priorities since many agencies were transitioning to new directors.
The IWRS has 47 required actions, and the agencies decided to break these actions down into three “buckets”. They are titled 1) Prevent Things from Getting Worse; 2) Optimize: Highest and Best Use; and 3) Help Communities Prepare and Adapt.
The first bucket concerns sustainable practices and limiting and reducing contamination of water resources. The second bucket concerns prioritizing innovative water solutions and data-driven projects for decision-making. The third bucket concerns informing the public of what the “water future” looks like, helping economies adapt to water changes, and increasing volunteer-based incentive programs for target priorities. The public had the opportunity to comment on the agencies’ priorities. They provided questions and feedback as well.
Commenters questioned the lack of enforcement language within the goals from the Department of Environmental Quality, such as in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area. This area, referred to as the “LUBGWMA,” experiences challenges with nitrate levels in domestic wells that are not connected to a community or municipal system. Commenters also questioned the scale of the projects to ensure the projects could be feasibly implemented in all communities.
Next Draft Coming in January, 2025
The agencies will publish the next draft for the IWRS in January 2025 which will include these priority areas. The public can submit comments to the draft IWRS. If you have interest in these projects or concerns, be sure to submit comments to the agencies for their consideration. After public review and comment, the agencies will present the draft to the Water Resources Commission in March 2025 for a workshop discussion. The agencies expect to provide the Final Draft of the IWRS to Water Resources Commission in late Spring 2025, with a hope of official adoption in June 2025.
