Water Caucus Updates

Greetings from the Oregon Water Caucus! Please forward this email along to your networks. Sign-up to receive updates on our website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/helm/Pages/Water-Caucus.aspx.

Drought in Oregon

Oregon is facing its most challenging drought season in recent memory. Record-low snowpack and one of the warmest winters in state history are primary drivers of 2026's severe conditions.

Long-term trends are clear: This is not an isolated event. Oregon and other Western states continue to experience persistent drought conditions associated with a warmer climate. While some recent years have seen periods of wetter conditions, the broader trend since 2000 has been toward warmer and drier conditions.

Increasing the state’s resiliency to drought and evolving conditions will be essential to meet our water needs now and into the future. Understanding vulnerabilities to drought can help focus efforts to improve resiliency, and prevent or reduce drought impacts. At this time 84% of Oregon is in drought and over half of Oregon's Counties have a Governor declared drought.

 

Share Drought Concerns and Recommendations with Your Legislators

Are you concerned about drought or water scarcity? Are you, your community, or places you care about being impacted by drought or low water conditions? Do you have recommendations for how to address drought impacts or increase Oregon's ability to be responsive to or resilient in the face of drought? Please send a note to your legislators voicing your concerns, observed or anticipated impacts, and recommendations to let them know what is on your mind. You can find your legislators using this map: Find Your Legislators.

Don't forget to copy the Water Caucus staff (harmony.burright@oregonlegislature.gov) so we can also track constituent concerns from across the state or reach out to let us know how we can support your outreach efforts.

While you're at it, please submit observation reports relating to drought that are then presented on an accessible map of impacts. This tool helps state and federal scientists and decision-makers better understand and respond to drought conditions across Oregon through observations submitted by Oregonians.

Interim House Committee Hearing on Drought Conditions and Impacts

The House Interim Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources and Water had a panel presentation on Monday, June 15 from various entities tracking and responding to drought impacts across Oregon. Meeting materials are available online. The recording of the hearing will be available online soon. The committee also received an update from the Water Resources Department on progress made on the 2016 Drought Task Force Recommendations.

The Water Caucus is meeting tomorrow morning to discuss drought conditions and potential Legislative responses to drought.

Drought and Water Supply Conditions Report

The Oregon Drought and Water Supply Conditions Report summarizes hydrological and climatological information used to depict current drought and water supply conditions throughout the state. This is a biweekly report that can help you understand how drought and water supply conditions change over time.

The latest Drought and Water Supply Conditions Report is available online online along with past reports. Please consider signing up online to receive updates.

Report Dry Wells and Receive Support

Well owners experiencing underproducing or dry wells are encouraged to report these to the Water Resources Department. These reports provide valuable data points that help water scientists better understand groundwater conditions around the state. Reported dry wells can be viewed in an online map.

Household wells experiencing water supply issues  Resources for impacted household wells with water supply issues:

• Low to moderate income homeowners may qualify for financial assistance through the Well Abandonment, Repair, and Replacement Fund (WARRF). The Joint Emergency Board will be taking up a request to provide $1,000,000 in additional funding to WARRF at the committee hearing on Wednesday depending on the recommendation put forward by the Natural Resources Subcommittee of the Joint Emergency Board.
• Information and technical assistance may be available through the Oregon State University Well Water Program.

Drought Vulnerability Assessment Now Available

In 2021 the Legislature provided funding to the Water Resources Department to produce a drought vulnerability assessment. The Department contracted with Oregon State University, University of Oregon, and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to undertake a Drought Vulnerability Assessment that examines drought frequency, intensity, and impacts across the state, along with policy and water justice considerations. Together, the reports help advance our collective understanding of drought vulnerability and point towards important considerations as we work to improve drought response and resilience. 

Water Conservation Communications Toolkit

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Oregon Water Resources Department (WRD) have jointly released the 2026 Water Conservation Communications Toolkit, a comprehensive collection of customizable outreach materials designed to help communities communicate effectively about water conservation during Oregon’s ongoing drought conditions.

The toolkit provides agencies, local governments, community organizations, and partners with ready-to-use key messages, sample news releases, social media templates, Frequently Asked Questions, and water saving tips to support consistent statewide communication. It emphasizes practical, low cost steps Oregonians can take to conserve water at home, including checking for leaks, watering during cooler hours, adjusting irrigation based on weather, and installing water efficient fixtures.

In addition to public messaging tools, the toolkit directs Oregonians to important resources such as WRD’s biweekly Drought & Water Supply Conditions Report, local watering guidance, drought declaration information, and options for reporting drought impacts, including dry wells and local conditions.

The 2026 Water Conservation Communications Toolkit is available to all partners and the public. Agencies and organizations are encouraged to adapt the materials to meet local needs while supporting consistent statewide messaging.

OWRD and OEM drew from research and information collected by the Regional Water Providers Consortium.

Integrated Water Resources Strategy Work Plan - Public Comments Due June 26

Oregon Revised Statute (536.220) requires that agencies develop 2-year workplans to implement the Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS). The IWRS provides a statewide inter-agency framework for better understanding and meeting Oregon's instream and out-of-stream water needs. A section on drought was added to the IWRS in the 2017 in response to the 2015 drought. The latest update to the IWRS was adopted in September 2025.

Agencies are developing the 2027-29 IWRS Workplan this summer. A draft is available on the OWRD IWRS webpage for public review and comment. Please provide written comment on or before June 26, 2026 to WRD_DL_waterstrategy@water.oregon.gov

Water and Data Centers Report and Webinar Recording

There are anywhere from 123 to 136 data centers currently operational in Oregon, and those data centers can be large, industrial water users. There has also been significant growth in data centers over the last five years. Data centers can vary greatly in the number of servers (from small to hyperscale), the cooling technology used, their source of energy, and other factors that determine different water use requirements. Lastly, their location in regions with more or less existing water stress matters. The Water Policy and Innovation Service has developed a report on Data Centers and Water. A Summary document and recording of a recent webinar with national experts can be found on their website.