Open to All!
Southern Oregon Pachamama Alliance (SOPA) and partner organization Water League are hosting the Water Action Community’s 2023 launch from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 4, in the Large Meeting Room at the Medford Library, 205 S. Central Ave. The event is free and open to everyone.
This event results from the ideas brought forth during SOPA’s Rogue Valley Water Solutions Summit last fall. Water League, which engages the public Water stewardship, is collaborating with SOPA to support the next steps that individuals and action groups can take to make a difference in the Rogue Basin.
More than 200 people, including Indigenous wisdom keepers, panelists from across the state of Oregon, and citizens concerned for the efficient and beneficial use of the Rogue Valley’s water met over the course of the 6-part Water Solutions Summit series.
Four action teams (cohorts) emerged from the summit that are critical to the health and well-being of our valley’s water. The format for Feb. 4 will include, as did the fall summit, an examination of “What is” and “What could be.” While the cohorts will surely evolve over time in keeping with the interests and passions of participants, currently they are titled:
- Doctrines, Rights, Indigenous Perspectives, and the Public Trust Doctrine
- Funding, Legislation, Water Rights, and Water Law
- Equity for Aquifers, Agriculture, Wetlands and Waterways
- Water Equity for Domestic, Industrial, and Commercial Uses
During the Water Action Community – 2023 Launch, folks can sign up for one or more cohorts they’d like to join and then enter a breakout session during which each team will meet to:
- plan its regular meeting schedule,
- begin formulating its mission (what it wants to accomplish), and
- brainstorm a few goals (3 to 5) to achieve to pursue that mission.
At subsequent meetings, members will identify concrete, measurable objectives for each goal and begin the work to realize them throughout the year. Each team will have a couple leaders, a scribe, and any other positions that members would like to establish. Members may invite new people to join in at any time and members can hop off as well.
Water League will provide the overall support and organization for the four teams and will be available to attend all team meetings to keep a central hub connection, hear needs and suggestions, and report on related actions of other teams. Quarterly meetings of all four teams will enable participants to catch up with each other, get project updates, discuss what’s succeeding and what’s not, find out where teams overlap and can collaborate, and provide support for the overall mission to solve common, but important, problems we face regarding our Water use, Water quality, our Watersheds, and Water future.
See the event invitation on Facebook. Here are some links to review, if you wish, before attending on Feb. 4:
- SOPA’s Water Solutions Summit webpage (background material and recordings of all sessions)
- Water League’s page on The Public Trust Doctrine — the frame in which we work to effect change
Jefferson Parson here with some thoughts for the legislation/water rights/water law group: One, we first need to identify the law or laws we wish to change, then decide how these laws can be challenged. The tactic most likely to succeed will probably involve massive disobedience of the law, which in this case could be laws requiring payment for water use, the logic being that when enough people refuse to pay their water bills, the municipality may be forced to change their allocation regulations. Of course such a tactic will require a public education process thorough enough to convince large numbers of people to disobey the law. Otherwise, the effort is likely to fail. In solidarity, Jefferson
Paying for city Water, especially increased rates as one’s usage goes up, helps prevent profligacy.
80% of all extracted Water is used by Agriculture; city and domestic uses only 20%.
Addressing the Beneficial Use of Water and ensuring that the largest Water users are serving the Public Interest, is not only a good idea, but it is the law.
Efficiency permits more use and sustains the scarcity problem. But, Conservation + Efficiency stops the problem.
One last thought — given that non-agricultural uses only count for 20% of all developed Water use, we’ll never wring enough Water out of the cities/ suburbs to solve the ongoing trend of aridification and water scarcity during the dry season.