Oregon Water Matters

New Video Series Dives into Oregon’s Water System

Oregon faces a water crisis. Communities across the state are already experiencing the impacts of chronic drought, the overallocation of water resources, and severe groundwater contamination. As demand for water increases despite diminishing supplies, it is a critical time to support Oregonians’ understanding of the systems that govern this vital public resource. 

The Oregon Water Equity Fund’s free video series, Oregon Water Matters, is a new public resource providing information on key water topics—from piped water infrastructure to the legality of collecting, storing, and using rainwater for drinking, cleaning, and other purposes. Informed by engagement with the Oregon Water Futures Collaborative and the Oregon Water Justice Network, the video series is intended to address knowledge gaps that are especially prevalent for Oregon’s environmental justice communities.

Oregon Water Equity Fund

Housed within the University of Oregon’s Climate Solutions Center, the Oregon Water Equity Fund (OWEF) is a state-funded initiative to improve water justice outcomes for communities across Oregon. 

Between 2023 and 2025, with the passage of two pieces of legislation—Oregon Senate Bills 5506 and 5701—OWEF secured $1,500,000 in state-level investments to support its ongoing efforts to research and advance environmental justice statewide. These investments have catalyzed OWEF’s efforts to launch and manage various grant programs focused on water justice, directly channeling essential funding to support community-based efforts emerging across the state. 

Addressing Knowledge Gaps

Central to the Oregon Water Matters video series is the belief that all are entitled to information about the quality, quantity, and management of public water resources. 

Co-created by the Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds Project (OCWP)—one of seven interdisciplinary research projects housed within the University of Oregon School of Law’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center—and Oregon hydrologist Todd Jarvis, Ph.D., the series seeks to answer some of the most common questions Oregonians from environmental justice communities have about the water upon which they rely. 

In identifying questions to prioritize, the OCWP engaged with the Oregon Water Futures Collaborative and the Oregon Water Justice Network, drawing from the Oregon Water Justice Framework—a water policy handbook developed through multi-year engagement with communities, agencies, lawmakers, and public utilities. 

Through six brief videos—three on water law, policy, and justice, and three on water systems and infrastructure—Oregon Water Matters addresses the following: