Downtown Bend: Know Justice – The Future of Water in Oregon

How can we balance competing needs to have water for all?

This is an in-person program. Masks are optional at all in-person library events.

Access to safe, sufficient water is designated as a fundamental human right by the United Nations, yet thousands of Oregonians do not meet that standard right now. Oregon’s identity is closely tied to water: it grows the food we eat, it’s the snow we ski on, the rivers we raft, and the provider of First Foods for Indigenous peoples. It’s also the basis for our most charismatic and biodiverse ecosystems. As water demand increases across the state and water supply dwindles when we need it the most, how can we balance competing needs to achieve an equitable water future for all? Join to learn more about water availability under current and future climate conditions, impacts to vulnerable communities, and what we can do to modernize water management in Oregon.

Zach Freed is the Sustainable Water Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in Oregon as well as the Chair of the Global Groundwater Group, an international community of practice for hydrogeologists in nonprofits. He is a hydrologist with more than a decade of experience in science-based collaborative water management throughout the Pacific Northwest. When he isn’t at work, you can find him searching for springs in central Oregon, paddling on the Deschutes, or skiing in the Cascades.