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Dispatches from public radio's correspondent at the Oregon Legislature. This is a venue for political and policy coverage of the state government in Salem and its impact on the people of Oregon.

Oregon Governor To Order State Agencies To Conserve Water

Charles Palmer
/
USGS
File photo of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge on the border between Oregon and California during the 2001 drought.

With more than half of Oregon in a drought emergency, Governor Kate Brown said state agencies can help conserve water for the rest of the state.

Brown plans to issue an executive order. All agencies will have to review how much water they use, then make a plan to conserve it.

Diana Enright is an analyst with Oregon’s Department of Water Resources. She’s not sure yet what will be on those conservation plans, but she said everyone can do their part.

“What people can do -- whether they’re a government agency, a homeowner, a farmer, a rancher or an operator of a municipal water system -- it’s all very similar,” Enright said.

Enright recommended looking for leaks and checking water bills for anything unusual.