Willamette Basin Water Futures:
County Partnerships with Scientists
Cutting-Edge Models
Source: Willamette Water 2100 Upper
Willamette Field Trip location,
Lookout Point Reservoir Dam 4/21/11
http://envision.bioe.orst.edu/StudyAreas/WW210
Adam Stebbins, Water Projects Coordinator
Benton County, Oregon
The Oregon Water Conference, 2011
Outline
• Brief Background on Benton-Lane-Linn
County Water Resources Study Group
• Willamette Water 2100: A Stakeholder
Driven Research and Outreach Project
• Water Scarcity in the Willamette Basin?
Source: Willamette Water 2100 Upper
• Next Steps
Willamette Field Trip location,
Green Island 4/21/11
• Q&A
DISCLAIMER: Presentation does not
represent the views of all members of
the Benton-Lane-Linn Water Resources,
Study Group, Willamette Water 2100
Project or Benton County!
Background on Benton-Lane-Linn County Water Resources Study Group
• Commissioner Led Group ; diverse
public, private, and non-profit
volunteers called together in April
2009; focused on understanding and
partnering on water issues.
• Finalized Work plan and
Memorandum of Cooperation in
December 2009
2010-2011:
• County led community water
meetings and formal input on OWRD
Integrated Water Strategy
• Coordinate roundtable presentation
with US Army Corps
http://www.waterstudygroup.org/
• Began review and discussion of OSUWillamette Water 2100 grant project
partnership
Background on Benton-Lane-Linn County Water Resources Study Group
• Review and input on work plan drafts
from Benton County, Lane, County,
Linn County, City of Albany, Eugene
Water and Electric Board, Irrigation
Districts, State Water Resources
Department, Water Resources
Consulting firms, water lawyers…..
Clear Lake, OR Headwaters of
McKenzie River in Linn County
• Purpose Statement: “To ensure a
reliable supply of clean water for all
users and beneficial uses and inform
the decision-makers in Benton-LaneLinn Counties, the Benton-Lane-Linn
County Water Resources Study Group
will: 1) comprehensively examine
shared water resources quantity, use
and quality issues; and 2) work
collaboratively and transparently to
address water issues.”
• Get grants and/or partner to
understand and address water issues
as a team!
Background on Benton-Lane-Linn County Water Resources Study Group
Background on Benton-Lane-Linn County Water Resources Study Group
Background on Benton-Lane-Linn County Water Resources Study Group
• Secured Funding from
OSU-Institute for
Water and
Watersheds
• Partnered with LinnBenton Community
College, Linn County
and Benton County to
located unused wells
that lead to
groundwater supply
and quality impacts
Background on Benton-Lane-Linn County Water Resources Study Group
Willamette Water 2100: A Stakeholder Driven Research and Outreach Project
Unique Stakeholder Learning Action
Network to support Research Process
and Outreach Project
http://www.oregonlive.com/
grasseedgrowers
• County Commissioner support and insights
helped secure NSF grant funding award to:
• “Identify and quantify the linkages and
feedbacks among hydrologic, ecological,
and socioeconomic dimensions of the water
system.
• “Determine where and when climate
change and human activities will create
water scarcities.”
• “Evaluate a broad range of strategies that
could enable this region to prevent,
mitigate, or adapt to water scarcities.”
•
Many other organizations
involved or to be involved…
“Create a novel, highly transferable method
of predicting where climate change will
create water scarcities in other regions and
where those scarcities would exert the
strongest impact on human society.”
Water Scarcity in the Willamette Basin?
Source: Willamette Water 2100
Upper Willamette Field Trip location,
Green Island 4/21/11
What is Water Scarcity?
From the WW2100 Socioeconomics subgroup:
• “General understanding: something is scarce if
people want to have more than is available
•
Source: Willamette Water 2100 Upper
Willamette Field Trip location,
Lookout Point Reservoir Dam 4/21/11
Scarcity describes a certain relation between
subjective needs and given possibilities to
satisfy them.
• The concept of scarcity describes a relation
between people and nature.”
What about scarcity from various perspectives?
Farmers, Fish, City and rural water supply ,
Water quality for beneficial uses, sv
Water Scarcity in the Willamette Basin?
Oregon Water Resources Strategy Open House Analyses::
http://www.wrd.state.or.us/OWRD/LAW/docs/IWRS/2010_
08_Workshop_and_Open_House_Analyses.pdf
Water Scarcity in the Willamette Basin?
Big Three ‘A Ha’ Moments so far in Willamette Water
2100 Stakeholder Learning Action Network:
Scarcity of Storage, Scarcity of Funding,
Scarcity of Political Will
alanbobet.blogspot.com
Water Scarcity in the Willamette Basin?
Scarcity of Storage
•
•
•
•
•
Localized supply Issues
Groundwater inadequate quality or quantity
Over-allocated surface water rights
Environmental flow requirements
Local storage of Willamette Basin project water
Increased, local storage allows for flexibility in
Dealing with seasonal water scarcity issues
Water Scarcity in the Willamette Basin?
Scarcity of Funding:
Cost to access federal stored water from Willamette Basin Projects : The cost
of water for M&I use under current federal policy would be approximately
$1500 per acre-foot for M&I uses and $10 per acre-foot for Irrigation (1.)
Cost for aquifer storage and recovery:
sofia.usgs.gov
1. Southern Willamette Valley Municipal Water Providers, Final Report (2008)
Water Scarcity in the Willamette Basin?
Scarcity of Political Will:
It will take an act of congress to gain M&I access
To Federal Stored water, and it will take a consistent
Local driven assessment, evaluation, and education
to address possible water scarcity issues
“…we believe that protecting ecological values in
the future will require sacrifices from more than
water rights themselves, and involving society as
a whole, in terms of not only the resources
devoted to protecting the environment, but also
the political will to make difficult changes” (1.)
1. FUTURE WATER ALLOCATION AND IN-STREAM VALUES IN THE WILLAMETTE
RIVER BASIN: A BASIN-WIDE ANALYSIS, Dole & Niemi 2003
Next Steps
Define Scarcity from all perspectives---resulting in white paper
Continue Stakeholder Learning Action Network focus group and events
for Upper, Mid, and Lower Willamette Basin (more field trips! Learn
about what is happening in the basin now and likely future)
Provide consistent stakeholder input to modeling efforts from various
Willamette Water 2100 teams
Source:
Willamette Water 2100
EWEB Leaburg Dam Park 4/21/11
Source: Green Island Floodplain
Conservation and Restoration Projects
4/21/11
Next Steps
Refining Scenarios over time, Bolte J. , et. al (2011)
Questions?
http://water.oregonstate.edu/ww2100/
http://www.waterstudygroup.org/
Adam Stebbins
Adam.Stebbins@CO.Benton.OR.US
(541) 766-6085