Woeful Waters: Federal Leaders Shed Light on What Oregon Already Knows

Earlier this year, a report from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office highlighted the fact that Oregonians around the state are dealing with water insecurity – described as the inability to “reliably and routinely access adequate, safe, and clean water to meet their needs.” The report detailed how state and local agencies and water regulators lacked “shared water security priorities,” and encouraged a coordinated response to help support regional planning.

Oregonians around the state were likely not shocked by that report; it only underlined what they already know. Whether it’s contaminated wells or a shortage of surface water running from the mountains, large portions of the state are experiencing serious water concerns.

This month, some of our representatives in Congress are getting in on the action, too. Oregon senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) held a number of talks in Washington, D.C., focused on the topic of water. In one hearing, as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting, Wyden outlined a litany of concerns about water in Oregon, including dry or contaminated wells around the state, and ongoing water delivery issues for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Among the Oregon issues Wyden pointed out was the fact that a handful of state water managers manage the various concerns around water; one for water quality, another for water quantity and so on, he said. What’s more, the state doesn’t regulate private wells at all, Merkley pointed out in another meeting this month, as reported by OPB.

In the midst of so much evidence of failing wells and ongoing drought, it should concern us all that no one is minding the store. Without an inventory of the goods, we can’t possibly know how to respond. No overarching authority as yet has a handle on our most important natural resource – and the only one that we absolutely cannot live without.

During this month’s talks in Washington, Wyden asked several agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to work together to gather data on water, to determine where federal dollars should flow.

While it’s encouraging to see that someone is sounding the alarm, it strikes us how late we are to the game. While we appreciate the focus that Oregon’s water is receiving at this point, we would be remiss if we didn’t express our dismay that this is where we are in the process. Let’s hope it’s not too late for the people out there dealing with contaminated wells, with declining groundwater, with dying glaciers to first gather data to understand the breadth and depth of the problem, and then to form a plan.

This article appears in Source Weekly September 28, 2023.