SALEM â A report from the Oregon Water Futures Project reveals widespread distrust in drinking water among communities of color and a sharp disconnect between communities and policymakers when it comes to water policy.
Oregon Water Futures Project staff began interviewing members of Native, Latinx, Black and migrant communities across the state in 2020, attempting to understand their water resource priorities. Partnering with Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, Euvalcree, Unite Oregon, Verde, NAACP Eugene-Springfield, and the Chinook Indian Nation, 104 people across eight counties were able to participate.
According to the report, climate change, aging infrastructure and a lack of investment in clean water has stressed the stateâs water systems, disproportionately risking the health, safety and economy of Oregonâs rural and low-income communities of color.
LISTEN: Understanding Water Challenges Facing Oregon s Native, Black, Latinx, and Migrant Communities
We talk with Alaà Reyes-Santos from the Oregon Water Futures Project about the findings from their 2021 report.
By
Gabriel Granillo
5/28/2021 at 12:30am
Klamath Marsh
Last year the Oregon Water Futures Project, in partnership with Unite Oregon, the Chinook Indian Nation, and other organizations, conducted a series of water-focused conversations with Native, Black, Latinx, and migrant communities around the state to learn about their cultural connections to water and their concerns when it comes to water education, access, and advocacy. And
earlier this week OWF released a report of their findings from those conversations to Oregon policy- and decision-makers.
Elevating Voices eugeneweekly.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eugeneweekly.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.