My recent post, republished in the Bulletin, generated the usual angry emails, mostly from people who had not carefully read what I wrote and emotionally responded to some imagined slight. For example, the NUID irrigator falsely claiming that I was advocating for taking away his water rights. I also received an email from a local elected official, to which I replied. I think it pretty well encapsulates the issue. If you are a voter, keep reading.

I appreciate receiving emails, even the angry ones, as it gives me a window into people’s thoughts and emotions. In order to keep the emails coming I rarely publish them and never identify who sends them. All I will say is that if you live in Central Oregon you most likely know the elected official who sent this email.

It was long, so I will summarize the key points. They claimed to agree with the Oregon Water Resources Department’s goal of reducing groundwater declines but argued that local cities should be exempt from these regulations in order to allow for continued housing development. They argued that exempt well users (mostly rural, domestic wells) are a significant issue and that new exempt wells should be denied. Finally, they stated that more study is needed along with identifying methods to “motivate conservation” among current groundwater users.

Here’s my email reply:

“I appreciate your email.  Obviously, we agree on exempt wells, an issue of mine for many years.  The reality, however, is that they are a small part of the problem.  We disagree on the important points.  Our planet is heating and our local aquifer is not recharging at a rate that allows for sustainable withdrawals given current demand.  Any additional withdrawals by cities, or anyone else, will accelerate environmental harm.  Economic harm will follow.  In fact, with less recharge, we need to reduce pumping just to keep current groundwater levels, levels that are already too low.  The only viable solution is to use surface water for municipal growth and there is plenty of that being wasted. 

Our local government policies may turn Central Oregon into a real desert. I would rather that not happen.  We need to learn to live sustainably with the resources we have. The opportunity offered by a municipal water crisis should not be wasted.”