Day One of the 17th Annual Oregon Water Law Conference: A Deluge of Information
As befitting a water law conference in Oregon, it rained on Day One of the two-day 17th Annual Oregon Water Law Conference. The gloomy weather outside (not to mention the environs of the dreary Red Lion Hotel--but I shouldn't complain, I mean, when was the last time you heard loud disco music in an elevator?) did little to dampen the energy and flow of information inside.
The program began with a presentation of Water Rights 101, which provided an introduction to the fundamentals of Oregon water rights that was useful to understanding the topics subsequently discussed. This was followed by a panel discussion of the Oregon Supreme Court's recent important water law decision, Fort Vannoy Irrigation District v. Oregon Water Resources Commission. Next, a three-member panel gave an update on the impact of new federal law on Oregon water, including a presentation of the Wallowa Dam rehabilitation project. During the lunch hour (but without food), the Governor's Natural Resources Policy Director, Mike Carrier, gave the keynote address about the Governor's recently unveiled comprehensive water strategy initiative, Headwaters to Ocean (H2O) (see my blog entry dated July 8, 2008 for a discussion about the initiative's funding strategy).
After a much-needed break for lunch, the program resumed with a timely update on the Klamath Basin settlement effort, which made big headlines a few days after the conference when a tentative settlement agreement was reached which includes the removal of four dams on the river. It was followed by a review of the new Department of State Lands rules affecting the use of state-owned submerged and submersible lands. The day ended with a presentation of ethical considerations that could potentially affect attorneys practicing in the field of water law.
In sum, I learned a ton, or was that an acre foot?, about water law, so I'll definitely be back next year!
Stay tuned for Day Two, which will be reviewed by Kimberlee Stafford.
Post authored by Jeanette Schuster, attorney practicing in the Sustainability and Real Estate and Land Use Groups.
