WRWC Mission:
“Maintain the public’s rights on the Willamette River
for local and regional needs.”
The Willamette River Water Coalition (WRWC) was created in 1997 under ORS Chapter 190 and is comprised of four local governments that have united together in order to preserve access to the Willamette River as a potential municipal and industrial water source for their communities. WRWC members include the cities of Tigard, Tualatin, and Sherwood, as well as the Tualatin Valley Water District. All of these members are committed to protecting the best interests of their communities by working together to secure water rights, investigate water treatment options and monitor water quality.
The coalition holds the water rights from the Oregon Water Resource Department to 130 million gallons of water per day from the Willamette River. While the City of Sherwood is currently the only member of WRWC with immediate plans to utilize the Willamette River for their community’s drinking water needs, all members of WRWC are committed to preserving access to this water source.
All members of WRWC expect to see significant increases in population in the next twenty to fifty years and beyond. As a result of this growth, communities are expecting to see a proportional increase in demand for water. For example, the total population for the area served by WRWC members is projected to increase nearly 50%, from approximately 288,500 to over 430,000 in the next 30 years. It is imperative that local governments plan for future growth in order to ensure that there is adequate availability of critical infrastructure, including water. It is for this reason that the WRWC's missions to “maintain the public’s rights on the Willamette River for local and regional needs” is so important.
To support this mission, the WRWC has adopted a work plan with the following objectives:
- Maintain water rights on the Willamette River
- Create community, industry and government partnerships
- Promote efforts to maintain the highest possible quality water in the Willamette River
- Maintain consistent communication with members, partners, and the public about the WRWC mission and the Willamette River
- Monitor issues related to future infrastructure capacity and develop a process to respond to requests for future infrastructure investments
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