Difference between revisions of "Addressing Declining Groundwater Supply in Umatilla County, Oregon, USA"

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{{Case Study
 
{{Case Study
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|Geolocation=45.672075, -118.7885967
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|Water Use=Agriculture or Irrigation, Domestic/Urban Supply, Other Ecological Services, Recreation or Tourism
 +
|Land Use=agricultural- cropland and pasture, conservation lands, forest land, rangeland, religious/cultural sites
 +
|Climate=Semi-arid/steppe (Köppen B-type); Arid/desert (Köppen B-type); Continental (Köppen D-type); Dry-summer; temperate
 
|Population=75,889
 
|Population=75,889
 
|Area=2,520
 
|Area=2,520
−
|Climate=Semi-arid/steppe (Köppen B-type); Arid/desert (Köppen B-type); Continental (Köppen D-type); Dry-summer; temperate
+
|Geolocation=45.672075, -118.7885967
−
|Land Use=agricultural- cropland and pasture, conservation lands, forest land, rangeland, religious/cultural sites
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−
|Water Use=Agriculture or Irrigation, Domestic/Urban Supply, Other Ecological Services, Recreation or Tourism
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|Water Feature=
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|Water Project=
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|Agreement=
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|REP Framework=Since the late 1950s the decline of groundwater within Umatilla County, Oregon has been approaching 400 to 500 feet within the deep basalt aquifers underlying the Umatilla Basin, primarily due to withdrawals for public drinking supplies and irrigation for agriculture. Agricultural irrigation, public drinking supply, and Tribal use are the main uses of water within the region. Here we found that the lack of funding from state and federal governments for groundwater resource management led to the development of a community based taskforce responsible for short-term and long-term management of surface and ground based water resources utilizing collaborative learning skills and adaptive management to drive policy decisions.
+
−
Core questions regarding this case are:
+
−
Q1. How to recover and mitigate drawdown effects from consumptive use within the state-designated Critical Groundwater Areas (CGAs) that will ensure equitable distribution and preserve the quality of groundwater?
+
−
Q2. How to manage individual well users tapping the groundwater stored in the aquifer who live outside of urban growth boundaries?
+
−
Q3. How to maintain water flows and temperature necessary to sustain life and biodiversity of species important to Tribal culture in rivers and streams that are hydraulically connected to groundwater.
+
−
The take away message from this case is that developing a community based management plan regarding a common resource requires patience. The collaborative learning investment will take time to produce the desired results in which equitable distribution of the resource over time and space is brought to fruition. The dedication to public involvement and outreach is providing the gradual foundation of trust between previously antagonistic stakeholders, which is gradual and not hasty. This particular case is still technically developing, even after approximately 5 years.
+
−
[[File:blockdiagramofUmatillaBasinhydrogeology.jpg]]
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Figure 1. Block diagram of Umatilla Basin hydrogeology. The red and orange lines depict the change in water level across the basin since the 1950s.Water level declines in the basin range from about 100 feet near Pendleton to over 200 feet near Hermiston. Elsewhere in the basin water levels have declined between 400 and 500 feet <ref name="[Jarvis 2010]">[Todd Jarvis.Community-Based Approaches to Conflict Management: Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Areas, Umatilla County, Oregon, USA. IUCN: http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/water/resources/toolkits/negotiate/] </ref>
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[[File:2007Umatillasubbasinsituationmap.jpg]]
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−
 
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Figure 2. Preliminary depiction of stakeholders and linkages for the groundwater situation in the Umatilla Basin, Northwestern US. “OASIS” was a proposed project to divert water from the Columbia River. DLCD denotes the Oregon Department of Land and Conservation and Development. USBR is the US Bureau of Reclamation. OWRD is the Oregon Water Resources Department. CTUIR is the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. ODEQ/DHS are the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Human Services. OSU-IWW is the Oregon State University, Institute for Water and Watersheds (Jarvis, 2010).
+
 
|Issues={{Issue
 
|Issues={{Issue
 
|Issue=Water Supply with Competing Purposes
 
|Issue=Water Supply with Competing Purposes
 
|Issue Description=Groundwater declines approaching 400 to 500 feet in the deep basalt aquifers underlying the Umatilla Basin (Oregon) in the Northwestern United States have occurred over the past 50 years due to intensive exploitation for public drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation. The deep basalt aquifer is “shared” by Washington and Oregon including lands ceded by and reserved for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).
 
|Issue Description=Groundwater declines approaching 400 to 500 feet in the deep basalt aquifers underlying the Umatilla Basin (Oregon) in the Northwestern United States have occurred over the past 50 years due to intensive exploitation for public drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation. The deep basalt aquifer is “shared” by Washington and Oregon including lands ceded by and reserved for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).
  
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Stakeholders:
+
'''Stakeholders:'''
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• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
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* U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
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• Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)
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* Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)
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• Agriculture
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* Agriculture
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• Municipalities
+
* Municipalities
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• Umatilla County Commissioners
+
* Umatilla County Commissioners
−
• Oregon Water Resources Department
+
* Oregon Water Resources Department
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• Critical Groundwater Task Force
+
* Critical Groundwater Task Force
 
|NSPD=Water Quantity; Water Quality; Ecosystems; Governance; Values and Norms
 
|NSPD=Water Quantity; Water Quality; Ecosystems; Governance; Values and Norms
 
|Stakeholder Type=Federated state/territorial/provincial government, Sovereign state/national/federal government, Local Government, Environmental interest, Industry/Corporate Interest, Community or organized citizens, Cultural Interest
 
|Stakeholder Type=Federated state/territorial/provincial government, Sovereign state/national/federal government, Local Government, Environmental interest, Industry/Corporate Interest, Community or organized citizens, Cultural Interest
−
}}
 
−
|ASI={{ASI
 
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|Contributor=Todd Jarvis, Matthew D. Pritchard
 
−
 
−
Primary Author: Todd Jarvis
 
−
 
−
Editor/Data transcriber: Matthew D. Pritchard
 
−
|ASI=The driving force behind the development of the Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Task force was the state-designated Critical Groundwater Areas (CGAs). In 2003 a hearing was called by the Umatilla County Planning Commission to propose the implementation of a land use overlay zone located within the boundaries of the CGAs. A vast majority of individuals who opposed the plan suggested that Umatilla County establish a community based group comprised of local citizens to address the water resource management issues rather than implementing the land use overlay zone, which would only restrict a few domestic wells. The Planning Commission and the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners appointed a 20 member Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Task Force to be responsible for both short and long term planning for water resource issues.
 
−
The Critical Groundwater Areas primarily are located within the western portion of Umatilla County and the Planning Commission recognized that basin-wide water use needed to be addressed before any plans were developed. The members of the Task Force were chosen based upon their respective geographic areas rather than vocational, urban, or Tribal designations. Members were selectively chosen by the Board of Commissioners based upon level of commitment to resolve the water management issue, not to represent vested interests or groups. The initial doctrine of the Task force had two goals: (1) Determine a solution to the current groundwater issues in west Umatilla County; and (2) Develop and design a water resource management plan comprehensive enough to assure that current and future use occurs in a sustainable manner.
 
−
The Task Force approached the water deficits with 4 different approaches after including public input which were: (1) Distributing surface water supplies from the Columbia River to reinforce groundwater through collaborative efforts with current or future undetermined projects with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, or regional infrastructure investments; (2) Providing more funding to studies and investigations of groundwater resources to increase the accuracy of estimates of reserves;(3)Developing a water rights exchange to recognize and acknowledge the Tribal  water and fisheries rights; (4) Increasing the efficiency of the management of existing water rights.
 
−
|User=Mpritchard
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
|Key Questions={{Key Question
 
|Key Questions={{Key Question
−
|Subject=Balancing Industries & Sectors
+
|Subject=Integration across Sectors
−
|Key Question - Dams=
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−
|Key Question - Urban=
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−
|Key Question - Transboundary=
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−
|Key Question - Desalination=
+
−
|Key Question - Influence=
+
 
|Key Question - Industries=How can consultation and cooperation among stakeholders and development partners be better facilitated/managed/fostered?
 
|Key Question - Industries=How can consultation and cooperation among stakeholders and development partners be better facilitated/managed/fostered?
−
|Key Question Description=The Critical Groundwater Areas primarily are located within the western portion of Umatilla County and the Planning Commission recognized that basin-wide water use needed to be addressed before any plans were developed. The members of the Task Force were chosen based upon their respective geographic areas rather than vocational, urban, or Tribal designations. Members were selectively chosen by the Board of Commissioners based upon level of commitment to resolve the water management issue, not to represent vested interests or groups.
+
|Key Question Description=Selection of Stakeholders: the Critical Groundwater Areas primarily are located within the western portion of Umatilla County and the Planning Commission recognized that basin-wide water use needed to be addressed before any plans were developed. The members of the Task Force were chosen based upon their respective geographic areas rather than vocational, urban, or Tribal designations. Members were selectively chosen by the Board of Commissioners based upon level of commitment to resolve the water management issue, not to represent vested interests or groups.
−
}}{{Key Question
+
 
−
|Subject=Balancing Industries & Sectors
+
Task Force agreed upon a methodology: after the Task Force was created, they based their public involvement/outreach strategy loosely along the lines of the principles of Collaborative Learning, which was designed at Oregon State University.(Daniels, S. E., & Walker, G. B. 2001). This methodology utilizes systems thinking processes to structure conflict management and foster alternative dispute resolution, which is useful in broad natural resource situations with a variety of stakeholder involvement.
−
|Key Question - Dams=
+
−
|Key Question - Urban=
+
−
|Key Question - Transboundary=
+
−
|Key Question - Desalination=
+
−
|Key Question - Influence=
+
−
|Key Question - Industries=How can consultation and cooperation among stakeholders and development partners be better facilitated/managed/fostered?
+
−
|Key Question Description=After the Task Force was created, they based their public involvement/outreach strategy loosely along the lines of the principles of Collaborative Learning, which was designed at Oregon State University (Walker & Daniels, 2001). This methodology utilizes systems thinking processes to structure conflict management and foster alternative dispute resolution, which is useful in broad natural resource situations with a variety of stakeholder involvement.
+
 
}}
 
}}
 +
|Water Feature={{Link Water Feature
 +
|Water Feature=Umatilla River
 +
}}
 +
|Riparian=
 +
|Water Project=
 +
|Agreement=
 +
|REP Framework=Since the late 1950s the decline of groundwater within Umatilla County, Oregon has been approaching 400 to 500 feet within the deep basalt aquifers underlying the Umatilla Basin, primarily due to withdrawals for public drinking supplies and irrigation for agriculture. Agricultural irrigation, public drinking supply, and Tribal use are the main uses of water within the region. Here we found that the lack of funding from state and federal governments for groundwater resource management led to the development of a community based taskforce responsible for short-term and long-term management of surface and ground based water resources utilizing collaborative learning skills and adaptive management to drive policy decisions.
 +
 +
Core questions regarding this case are:
 +
 +
#How to recover and mitigate drawdown effects from consumptive use within the state-designated Critical Groundwater Areas (CGAs) that will ensure equitable distribution and preserve the quality of groundwater?
 +
#How to manage individual well users tapping the groundwater stored in the aquifer who live outside of urban growth boundaries?
 +
#How to maintain water flows and temperature necessary to sustain life and biodiversity of species important to Tribal culture in rivers and streams that are hydraulically connected to groundwater.
 +
 +
The take away message from this case is that developing a community based management plan regarding a common resource requires patience. The collaborative learning investment will take time to produce the desired results in which equitable distribution of the resource over time and space is brought to fruition. The dedication to public involvement and outreach is providing the gradual foundation of trust between previously antagonistic stakeholders, which is gradual and not hasty. This particular case is still technically developing, even after approximately 5 years.
 +
 +
[[File:blockdiagramofUmatillaBasinhydrogeology.jpg]]
 +
 +
Figure 1. Block diagram of Umatilla Basin hydrogeology. The red and orange lines depict the change in water level across the basin since the 1950s.Water level declines in the basin range from about 100 feet near Pendleton to over 200 feet near Hermiston. Elsewhere in the basin water levels have declined between 400 and 500 feet <ref name="Jarvis 2010">Todd Jarvis. 2010.Community-Based Approaches to Conflict Management: Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Areas, Umatilla County, Oregon, USA. IUCN: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/northwestern.pdf </ref>
 +
 +
 +
[[File:Umatillanewmap.jpg]]
 +
 +
Figure 2. Preliminary depiction of stakeholders and linkages for the groundwater situation in the Umatilla Basin, Northwestern US. “OASIS” was a proposed project to divert water from the Columbia River. DLCD denotes the Oregon Department of Land and Conservation and Development. USBR is the US Bureau of Reclamation. OWRD is the Oregon Water Resources Department. CTUIR is the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. ODEQ/DHS are the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Human Services. OSU-IWW is the Oregon State University, Institute for Water and Watersheds. <ref name="Jarvis 2010" />
 
|Summary=Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Areas, Umatilla County, Oregon, USA
 
|Summary=Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Areas, Umatilla County, Oregon, USA
  
 
Since the late 1950s the decline of groundwater within Umatilla County, Oregon has been approaching 400 to 500 feet within the deep basalt aquifers underlying the Umatilla Basin, primarily due to withdrawals for public drinking supplies and irrigation for agriculture. Agricultural irrigation, public drinking supply, and Tribal use are the main uses of water within the region. Here we found that the lack of funding from state and federal governments for groundwater resource management led to the development of a community based taskforce responsible for short-term and long-term management of surface and ground based water resources utilizing collaborative learning skills and adaptive management to drive policy decisions.
 
Since the late 1950s the decline of groundwater within Umatilla County, Oregon has been approaching 400 to 500 feet within the deep basalt aquifers underlying the Umatilla Basin, primarily due to withdrawals for public drinking supplies and irrigation for agriculture. Agricultural irrigation, public drinking supply, and Tribal use are the main uses of water within the region. Here we found that the lack of funding from state and federal governments for groundwater resource management led to the development of a community based taskforce responsible for short-term and long-term management of surface and ground based water resources utilizing collaborative learning skills and adaptive management to drive policy decisions.
 +
|Topic Tags=
 
|External Links=
 
|External Links=
 
|Case Review={{Case Review Boxes
 
|Case Review={{Case Review Boxes
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|Wikify=No
 
|Wikify=No
 
|connect to www=No
 
|connect to www=No
 +
|Out of Date=No
 
|Disputed=No
 
|Disputed=No
 +
|MPOV=No
 
|Mpov=No
 
|Mpov=No
 +
}}
 +
|ASI={{ASI
 +
|Contributor=Todd Jarvis, Matthew D. Pritchard
 +
 +
Primary Author: Todd Jarvis
 +
 +
Editor/Data transcriber: Matthew D. Pritchard
 +
|ASI=The driving force behind the development of the Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Task force was the state-designated Critical Groundwater Areas (CGAs). In 2003 a hearing was called by the Umatilla County Planning Commission to propose the implementation of a land use overlay zone located within the boundaries of the CGAs. A vast majority of individuals who opposed the plan suggested that Umatilla County establish a community based group comprised of local citizens to address the water resource management issues rather than implementing the land use overlay zone, which would only restrict a few domestic wells. The Planning Commission and the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners appointed a 20 member Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Task Force to be responsible for both short and long term planning for water resource issues.
 +
 +
The Critical Groundwater Areas primarily are located within the western portion of Umatilla County and the Planning Commission recognized that basin-wide water use needed to be addressed before any plans were developed. The members of the Task Force were chosen based upon their respective geographic areas rather than vocational, urban, or Tribal designations. Members were selectively chosen by the Board of Commissioners based upon level of commitment to resolve the water management issue, not to represent vested interests or groups.
 +
 +
The initial doctrine of the Task force had two goals:
 +
#Determine a solution to the current groundwater issues in west Umatilla County
 +
#Develop and design a water resource management plan comprehensive enough to assure that current and future use occurs in a sustainable manner.
 +
 +
The Task Force approached the water deficits with 4 different approaches after including public input which were:
 +
#Distributing surface water supplies from the Columbia River to reinforce groundwater through collaborative efforts with current or future undetermined projects with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, or regional infrastructure investments
 +
#Providing more funding to studies and investigations of groundwater resources to increase the accuracy of estimates of reserves
 +
#Developing a water rights exchange to recognize and acknowledge the Tribal  water and fisheries rights
 +
#Increasing the efficiency of the management of existing water rights
 +
.
 +
|ASISummary=The Board of Commissioners used a task-force approach to examining the basin-wide issues effecting designated Critical Groundwater Areas (CGAs) and water deficits. This analysis discusses the selection, goals, tasks, and approaches of this task force.
 +
|User=Mpritchard
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}
 
}}

Latest revision as of 14:12, 26 November 2014

{{#var: location map}}


Case Description
Loading map...
Geolocation: 45° 40' 19.47", -118° 47' 18.9481"
Total Population 75,88975,889,000,000 millionmillion
Total Area 2,5202,520 km²
972.972 mi² km2
Climate Descriptors Semi-arid/steppe (Köppen B-type), Arid/desert (Köppen B-type), Continental (Köppen D-type), Dry-summer, temperate
Predominent Land Use Descriptors agricultural- cropland and pasture, conservation lands, forest land, rangeland, religious/cultural sites
Important Uses of Water Agriculture or Irrigation, Domestic/Urban Supply, Other Ecological Services, Recreation or Tourism
Water Features: Umatilla River

Summary

Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Areas, Umatilla County, Oregon, USA

Since the late 1950s the decline of groundwater within Umatilla County, Oregon has been approaching 400 to 500 feet within the deep basalt aquifers underlying the Umatilla Basin, primarily due to withdrawals for public drinking supplies and irrigation for agriculture. Agricultural irrigation, public drinking supply, and Tribal use are the main uses of water within the region. Here we found that the lack of funding from state and federal governments for groundwater resource management led to the development of a community based taskforce responsible for short-term and long-term management of surface and ground based water resources utilizing collaborative learning skills and adaptive management to drive policy decisions.



Natural, Historic, Economic, Regional, and Political Framework

Since the late 1950s the decline of groundwater within Umatilla County, Oregon has been approaching 400 to 500 feet within the deep basalt aquifers underlying the Umatilla Basin, primarily due to withdrawals for public drinking supplies and irrigation for agriculture. Agricultural irrigation, public drinking supply, and Tribal use are the main uses of water within the region. Here we found that the lack of funding from state and federal governments for groundwater resource management led to the development of a community based taskforce responsible for short-term and long-term management of surface and ground based water resources utilizing collaborative learning skills and adaptive management to drive policy decisions.

Core questions regarding this case are:

  1. How to recover and mitigate drawdown effects from consumptive use within the state-designated Critical Groundwater Areas (CGAs) that will ensure equitable distribution and preserve the quality of groundwater?
  2. How to manage individual well users tapping the groundwater stored in the aquifer who live outside of urban growth boundaries?
  3. How to maintain water flows and temperature necessary to sustain life and biodiversity of species important to Tribal culture in rivers and streams that are hydraulically connected to groundwater.

The take away message from this case is that developing a community based management plan regarding a common resource requires patience. The collaborative learning investment will take time to produce the desired results in which equitable distribution of the resource over time and space is brought to fruition. The dedication to public involvement and outreach is providing the gradual foundation of trust between previously antagonistic stakeholders, which is gradual and not hasty. This particular case is still technically developing, even after approximately 5 years.

BlockdiagramofUmatillaBasinhydrogeology.jpg

Figure 1. Block diagram of Umatilla Basin hydrogeology. The red and orange lines depict the change in water level across the basin since the 1950s.Water level declines in the basin range from about 100 feet near Pendleton to over 200 feet near Hermiston. Elsewhere in the basin water levels have declined between 400 and 500 feet [1]


Umatillanewmap.jpg

Figure 2. Preliminary depiction of stakeholders and linkages for the groundwater situation in the Umatilla Basin, Northwestern US. “OASIS” was a proposed project to divert water from the Columbia River. DLCD denotes the Oregon Department of Land and Conservation and Development. USBR is the US Bureau of Reclamation. OWRD is the Oregon Water Resources Department. CTUIR is the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. ODEQ/DHS are the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Human Services. OSU-IWW is the Oregon State University, Institute for Water and Watersheds. [1]

Issues and Stakeholders

Water Supply with Competing Purposes

NSPD: Water Quantity, Water Quality, Ecosystems, Governance, Values and Norms
Stakeholder Types: Federated state/territorial/provincial government, Sovereign state/national/federal government, Local Government, Environmental interest, Industry/Corporate Interest, Community or organized citizens, Cultural Interest

Groundwater declines approaching 400 to 500 feet in the deep basalt aquifers underlying the Umatilla Basin (Oregon) in the Northwestern United States have occurred over the past 50 years due to intensive exploitation for public drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation. The deep basalt aquifer is “shared” by Washington and Oregon including lands ceded by and reserved for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).

Stakeholders:

  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
  • Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)
  • Agriculture
  • Municipalities
  • Umatilla County Commissioners
  • Oregon Water Resources Department
  • Critical Groundwater Task Force


Analysis, Synthesis, and Insight

What is an ASI?

Individuals may add their own Analysis, Synthesis, and Insight (ASI) to a case. ASI sub-articles are protected, so that each contributor retains authorship and control of their own content. Edit the case to add your own ASI.

Learn more

ASI:Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Task Force: Community-Based Approaches to Conflict Management

(read the full article... )

Contributed by: Aaron T. Wolf, Joshua T. Newton, Matthew Pritchard (last edit: 12 February 2013)




Key Questions

Integration across Sectors: How can consultation and cooperation among stakeholders and development partners be better facilitated/managed/fostered?

Selection of Stakeholders: the Critical Groundwater Areas primarily are located within the western portion of Umatilla County and the Planning Commission recognized that basin-wide water use needed to be addressed before any plans were developed. The members of the Task Force were chosen based upon their respective geographic areas rather than vocational, urban, or Tribal designations. Members were selectively chosen by the Board of Commissioners based upon level of commitment to resolve the water management issue, not to represent vested interests or groups.

Task Force agreed upon a methodology: after the Task Force was created, they based their public involvement/outreach strategy loosely along the lines of the principles of Collaborative Learning, which was designed at Oregon State University.(Daniels, S. E., & Walker, G. B. 2001). This methodology utilizes systems thinking processes to structure conflict management and foster alternative dispute resolution, which is useful in broad natural resource situations with a variety of stakeholder involvement.




  1. ^ 1.0 1.1 Todd Jarvis. 2010.Community-Based Approaches to Conflict Management: Umatilla County Critical Groundwater Areas, Umatilla County, Oregon, USA. IUCN: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/northwestern.pdf




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