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Benton County Water Project – Water Policy Groups

Why We Are Interested in Water Planning and Policy

Water quantity and water quality are central to the work of many local groups within Benton County. We want to know what we can do as individuals to help. If you feel the same way, consider joining one of these groups involved in water work, and sign up for the Benton County Water Project mailing list.

Groups Involved in Benton County Water Resources Work

Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) offers local conservation programs and projects that provide many opportunities for volunteers for conservation projects, office work, and event staffing.

Watershed Councils are volunteer groups of neighbors working together to learn about the watershed and improve local water quality and habitat conditions. Watershed Councils are set up for areas such as Long Tom, Marys River, Alsea/Mid-Coast, and Luckiamute.

The Institute for Water and Watersheds (IWW) at Oregon State University is Oregon’s federally-designated water resources research institute. It coordinates water and watershed activities at Oregon State University, connects students, staff, and faculty with stakeholders and statewide water issues, and pursues solutions to the water and related environmental problems of Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, and the world by assembling research teams from a broad spectrum of disciplines. Over 125 faculty from six colleges and numerous departments are affiliated with the IWW.

Groundwater in the Willamette Valley between Eugene and Albany shows signs of contamination by human activities and high concentrations of nitrate in the water. The creation of the Southern Willamette Valley Groundwater Management Area by the Department of Environmental Quality requires state agencies to focus efforts on the development of an action plan to restore groundwater quality. Read more... (PDF)

Greenberry Irrigation District Total acreage in the district is about 13,000, of which about 11,000 is irrigable. The district signed a contract with the Bureau of Reclamation for the delivery of stored water from the Willamette Basin Project in October of 2007. In any one year, the district will irrigate about 7,000 acres south of Corvallis, Oregon.  The district serves about 50 members, ranging in size from a large, diversified family farm to a member with a few acres of blueberries.

The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition includes a task group called "Water Land & Soil Resources," which is made up of individuals who participate in hands-on work. The Coalition is guided by a Steering Committee of 15 members who use a modified consensus-based model for decision-making.

The League of Women Voters supports

• water resource programs and policies that reflect the interrelationships of water quality, water quantity, ground-water and surface water and that address the potential depletion or pollution of water supplies;

• measures to reduce water pollution from direct point-source discharges and from indirect nonpoint sources;

• policies to achieve water quality essential for maintaining species populations and diversity, including measures to protect lakes, estuaries, wetlands and in-stream flows;

• stringent controls to protect the quality of current and potential drinking-water supplies, including protection of watersheds for surface supplies and of recharge areas for groundwater.

 

The Willamette River Keepers' goal is to enable the Willamette to function more naturally, with cold, clean water, and provide healthy habitat for fish and wildlife.

 

See more resources regarding water use and policy:

• Presentations and studies by groups involved in water policy and planning
• News articles and opinions related to regional water resources from local newspapers

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