PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

I RECENTLY HAD the privilege of hosting, here in Oregon’s Willamette Basin, a delegation from the Lower Mekong River of Southeast Asia. They were visiting the United States with the purpose of learning more about how we undertake the roles and responsibilities that come with shared rivers and basins. Comprised of representatives from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma), the delegation had a number of insights and observations that are worth sharing here.

Hydrologic Realities. The delegates had already heard of John Wesley Powell, and how he argued—back in the 1890s—that communities should organize themselves with rivers as their centerpiece instead of their borders. Although largely ignored, Powell’s words still ring true across the globe, as political jurisdictions struggle to manage and protect mutually shared waters. AWRA’s Board adopted a policy statement in 2016 entitled “Organizing and Managing Water in a Hydrologic Context,” as a reminder that hydrologic realities continues to shape and affect our communities every day.

Storytelling. In the Pacific Northwest, state agencies struggle to find the time and personnel to tell our stories of drought and flood. Public agencies are usually not adept at storytelling, and we often do not make the resources available to document the impacts of drought and flood our communities have experienced during the water year. Delegate members noted that part of their annual responsibilities is to describe the direct effects that extreme events have had on property, crops, and animals. It contributes to the information baseline and helps when seeking financial assistance or policy change.

Partnerships. It takes a lot of effort to craft a contract or memorandum of understanding, but the knowledge base and experiences brought to the table as a result are worth the effort. Delegate members noted that the reliance public agencies have on university researchers to answer fundamental water resources questions is much more common in Southeast Asia, as is interdependence among national, provincial, and district water agencies.

Water Management Techniques. It was a helpful reminder to see that water managers everywhere face many of the same challenges. From season to season, communities may face both flood and drought. Relying on a combination of nature and human engineering, we are trying our best to manage resources, ensure human health and safety, and protect the environment with the resources we have. As one example, we discussed the technology that some reservoir managers are using to combat evaporation—small plastic “shade balls” that float on the surface of the water. The delegates noted that the same effect can be achieved with bamboo mats.

Water Resources Planning. We talked about the effort required for continuous improvement, and that many U.S. states draft water plans to help pave the way for better technologies, programs, and policies. The delegates were surprised and interested to hear that as part of this process, agencies undertake a fair bit of “self-criticism,” pointing out gaps or much needed improvements. The freedom we have in the United States to critique and adapt is significant and note-worthy.

Basin Characterization. Here in Oregon, we are looking to update our basin reports—characterizing the physical attributes of each of our administrative basins. These descriptions were written between the late 1950s and early 1990s, produced in hardcopy, and contain very little on the topic of groundwater levels, seismic and engineering developments, and climate change. The delegates observed that public agencies everywhere are striving to make basin information more relevant, more understandable, and more accessible for planners and the public alike.

The concept of interstate basins will be a major theme of this year’s AWRA Workshop for State Leaders, taking place in Baltimore, Maryland Nov. 7 and 8. Agency officials will discuss how the complexities of basin management affect the planning and regulatory activities of individual states. If you are a state official, or know one who would like to participate, please email me at [email protected].

This workshop will be part of AWRA’s Annual Conference, taking place in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Nov. 4-8. Hosted by the Delaware, New Jersey, and National Capital Region State Chapters, this event will provide another great way to network and learn. This will be a homecoming for me—a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University (go Bluejays!) and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (go Retrievers!).

We share our watersheds and our planet. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you in the Patapsco River Watershed in November at AWRA’s annual conference.

Brenda O. Bateman can be reached at [email protected].