South Coast Community Water Assessment Roadmap
Region defined as Oregon’s South Coast
The South Coast of Oregon is a region defined by water. The ocean, estuaries, and rivers draw residents and tourists alike to the region’s iconic towns, landscapes, and industries. From fish in streams to groundwater for wells, from community drinking water pipes to wastewater outflows, from productive farms to functioning forests — all the region’s uses need water.
But the South Coast is also a region facing serious water challenges. Critical water delivery and treatment infrastructure that was built in the 1960s-80s is nearing the end of its lifespan. Changing precipitation patterns means some communities are already experiencing severe water shortages in dry summer months, leading to the once-unthinkable problem of needing to store water in one of the wettest parts of the country. The capacity to operate, fund, manage, and govern water systems is at a breaking point. As prices rise and rural communities are forced to do more with less, the old ways of managing water on the coast simply don’t work anymore.
While rural communities statewide face many of these challenges, this Roadmap specifically focuses on the South Coast, and identifies short, medium, and long term actions that communities can take to tackle these challenges head on, together. The strategies in this Roadmap approach these challenges with a “One Water” mindset that values and manages all water — whether from the tap, a stream, a storm, or a wastewater system — in an integrated and holistic manner. These strategies are not unattainable — they’re grounded in what we learned through interviews with local leaders, what similar regions across the state have achieved, and what is fundable and actionable within existing policy and funding frameworks. Local officials, volunteer board members, water operators, funders, state agencies, community members, and regional support partners all have a critical role to play in moving communities from planning to implementation, and from an isolated problem-solving approach to a collaborative, shared, and sustainable water future.
The Roadmap aims to bring our findings to water users and providers, but could be helpful to other water stakeholders too. This document quickly covers the issues we heard, makes the case for regionalization (physical or administrative) as a means of capacity building, and guides communities through the elements that could prompt or support that discussion. We hope that the takeaways and recommendations in this Roadmap build the case for future investments and conversations in water resources across communities, funders, and decision-makers on the South Coast.
Read the South Coast Community Assessment Roadmap and the associated handouts.
Check out the Community Water Handouts
Drinking Water Infrastructure 101
When to Build Regional Capacity
Project and Funding Sequencing: Where to Start?
Should You Regionalize & What Are Your Options?
What Type of Collaboration Makes Sense For You?
The South Coast Community Water Assessment Project, funded by Bandon Dunes Charitable Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, Roundhouse Foundation, and Ford Family Foundation, is an early but critical step toward building the momentum and capacity needed for sustainable, regional water security.