College of Agricultural Sciences

OAES Research Program

Water resources in Oregon are over‑subscribed and face competing demands from urban, industrial, agricultural, hydroelectric, environmental and First Nation users. A large portion of the state’s water and energy (Stroh 2005) resources are devoted to agriculture but in some regions, groundwater resources are closed to further exploitation. Endangered species issues, including salmon and sucker fish (Lackey et al. 2006), involve available flow quantities, stream temperatures, toxin levels, and the magnitude and quality of stream habitat. Water resources in the state are typically allocated on an either/or basis, e.g. water can be used either for irrigation or hydroelectric power generation, water can be used either for maintenance of downstream habitat or for irrigation, All aspects of society are affected by the distribution and allocation of water resources (Pimentel et al. 1997).The urban centers and relatively plentiful rainfall areas west of the Cascade Mountains offers a distinct contrast with the sparsely populated, arid regions east of the Cascades. In Oregon, in contrast with more highly urbanized and industrialized parts of the country, the society appears to take a greater interest in and have a better understanding of natural resource issues.

Water scarcity, or completing uses for finite water resources, will only increase in the future. Given the uncertainty associated with changing availability of water resources (IPCC 2007), critical questions remain regarding the effects of water scarcity and hazards on people and the environment of Oregon and our ability to limit and mitigate those effects. The program goal is to identify the major resource constraint issues and to provide water resource management decision‑makers with the best scientific information available for addressing the allocation, management and engineering of soil and water resources. The integrated program encompasses natural ecosystems at the watershed or stream scale, as well as quantifying anthropogenic impacts related to site contamination or water use for irrigation and their effects on the natural ecosystem. Research will focus on two activity areas:1) Improved agricultural water management and 2) Watershed enhancement and sustainability.

Related Research Projects