Navigating Complex Waters
By Brenda Smith, High Desert Partnership Executive Director
This past year has brought one of the most significant natural resource challenges our community has faced. The groundwater crisis in Harney County didn't emerge overnight—it's the culmination of trends that began in the 1990s, when agricultural irrigation needs drove increased groundwater pumping throughout the basin and the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) approved permits for groundwater allocation.
For the past ten years, High Desert Partnership has been deeply engaged in this issue, working with OWRD, U.S. Geological Survey, Harney County Watershed Council’s place based planning effort, local ranchers, community members, and others. When OWRD launched its Harney Basin groundwater study in 2016, we knew the results would eventually require difficult conversations. The results of that study were published in 2022; groundwater data shows that some places have experienced minor declines, while other areas, most notably the Weaver Springs area, have experienced declines of more than 100 feet in some wells.
This year, those findings translated into proposed regulations that will fundamentally reshape water use in our basin. OWRD's draft rules call for a 35% reduction in groundwater pumping across the Harney Basin, with implementation beginning in 2028. The economic projections are stark—over a 30-year period, an independent consultant estimated that 320 jobs would be lost, $18 million in annual labor income would be lost and $61 million in annual economic output would be lost. These impacts would be direct, impacting agricultural operations and the businesses that they serve, as well as indirect, impacting the broader economy and public services. For instance, one impact is that power costs for customers served by Harney Electric Cooperative will increase because power consumption from irrigation pumps currently offsets the cost for other ratepayers.
This is precisely the type of complex challenge that HDP's collaborative model was designed to address. OWRD has convened a rulemaking process and convened a Division 512 Groundwater Rules Advisory Committee over the last 18 months. HDP has been supporting community public engagement; we've witnessed how "a water issue is never just a water issue," as our consultant Harmony Burright aptly noted. This crisis touches every aspect of community life—environmental health, economic vitality and the very fabric of rural life in Harney County.
We've worked to help irrigators, environmental advocates, domestic well owners, and community members all have opportunities to understand the science, voice their concerns, and contribute to policy development through the process that OWRD has provided. For example, Harmony Burright has dedicated countless hours to helping residents craft meaningful public comments translating their experiences and concerns into effective policy input. Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of this challenging year has been the community's engagement; more than 1000 comments were provided and engagement at the summer's public comment hearings was significant.
The path forward won't be easy. As I said above, The draft rules propose to reduce 35% of groundwater pumping across the basin via regulation, while a diverse group from across the Harney Basin that includes ranchers, farmers, local elected officials, the Burns Paiute Tribe and others have proposed alternative solutions toward reducing groundwater pumping through voluntary agreements and other means.
Real reductions in water use will have real impacts on real families and if the proposal from OWRD moves forward, there will be litigation and no one will win.
We're putting all our hope and energy into listening to the voices at the table—an approach we know works. We've been doing this since 2005 and by working together—bringing different interests into open discussion, seeking common ground, and building solutions collaboratively—we can navigate these challenges in ways that protect both our groundwater resource and our community's future. We're prepared to convene a groundwater collaborative to continue to keep the community involved in solving the complex issues.
And, there is more at stake here; our hope is we can build a collaborative practice around this issue that other communities can replicate. We know this groundwater issue is not an isolated issue in Harney County. Other communities in the west will face similar challenges; we hope through working together in Harney County and establishing what it looks like to find solutions together we can help others as well.
This is what collaborative conservation looks like when stakes are high and choices are hard. It's not about avoiding difficult conversations and decisions, but about ensuring that there is a table to have those conversations and when those decisions are made, they reflect the full spectrum of community values, knowledge, and aspirations for Oregon's high desert lands, waters, and communities.
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From Oregon Water Resources Department Oct 28 newsletter: In December, the Water Resources Commission will consider agency-proposed rules aimed at stabilizing groundwater levels in the Harney Basin.
The Commission will also consider a petition that seeks to achieve reasonably stable water levels, but with less curtailment across fewer areas. After receiving the petition, OWRD took public comment on the petition and re-opened comment on the proposed agency rules. In December, the Commission must either initiate rulemaking on the petition or deny it. Elements of the petition could also be included in the agency’s proposed final rules.
