water they doing right in yakima? by aldric ulep - awra iwrm conference 2014

History

Literature

Data

History

Literature

Data

1. The Basin

$3.2B

~6000 mi2

500,000 acres

WATERSUPPLY

Recreation

Fish & Wildlife

NavigationIndustry

Irrigation

Domestic/Municipal

1880s: 300,000 -960,000/yearNow: threespecies gone

1902: 120,000acres irrigatedNow: 500,000acres irrigated

197619791987198819921993199420012003200420052010

2. The Integrated Plan

History

Literature

Data

Fish Passage

Fish Habitat Enhancement

Modification of Existing Structures and Operations

Surface Storage

Market-Based Reallocation

Groundwater Storage

Enhanced Water Conservation

3. Previous watershed planning

History

Literature

Data

4. Successful watershed partnerships

History

Literature

Data

(Kenney 2000)

(Conley and Moote 2003)

•Organizationalimplementational

•Act as convening spaces for negotiations; the member agencies carry out the “formal legal actions”

Leach and Pelkey (2001)

5. Findings from qualitative data

History

Literature

Data

1. Design a semi-structured interview

2. Identify and contact stakeholders

3. Conduct, transcribe, and code interviews

4. Supplement with documents

Key Findings1: Local groups united on their shared values

2: State and federal leaders

pushed initiative forward

3: Workgroup committed to a

balanced approach

1: Local groups united on their shared values

You know, we've fought tooth and nail with Roza Irrigation District in our long history. We don't have a friendly relationship with them, prior to this. We came together and we both agreed, we can't go forward with that proposal called Black Rock.

[Our joint letter to Reclamation and Ecology] was co-signed, and that shocked the valley. […] That was a game-changer, I guess is how they call it around here.

“

”“

”

YAKAMA:

1: Local groups united on their shared values

[We realized] that our interests were more similar than different. Together, we could convey an awful lot of power.

ROZA:

“

”

1: Local groups united on their shared values

Sense of urgency; Frustration over lack of progress

Shared preference for a better alternative to Storage study

Recognition of power in collaboration

2: State and federal leaders pushed initiative forward

We got leadership at Reclamation and leadership at Ecology to agree with us, and that's when things started to rapidly change.ROZA:

“

”

2: State and federal leaders pushed initiative forward

We had the right political leadership. They all supported moving forward on what we called the integrated approach to solving these problems.

“

”ECOLOGY:

2: State and federal leaders pushed initiative forward

everybody at that point was a lot more comfortable in talking about the ultimate solutions

“

”RECLAMATION:

2: State and federal leaders pushed initiative forward

Responded to local concerns

Adjudication reduced conflict

“Water, Jobs and Fish Bill” enacted

3: Workgroup committed to a balanced approach

They're getting enough out of the plan“

”Friends of Bumping Lake

3: Workgroup committed to a balanced approach

We're not putting one interest in front of the other.

“

”KITTITAS COUNTY:

3: Workgroup committed to a balanced approach

Everyone was willing to compromise

Workgroup was consciously designed

Local, Yakama, Irrigators

Together

Federal, State

6. Discussion

History

Literature

Data

•Actionable:

•Context/Luck:

power imbalances

relationships across and within stakeholder groups over time.

lack of money can haltcontext

matters

power imbalances

relationships across and within stakeholder groups over time.

lack of money can haltcontext

matters•Can an IWRM framework be a cure-all?

aldric@alumni.stanford.edu

about.me/aldriculep