Governing Body and Bylaws

Main contact: Dr. Salini Sasidharan, LUBGWMA Committee Chair, [email protected]

If you like to be added to the LUBGWMA email communication list, please send a request via [email protected]

Lead Agency for Implementing Action Plan: Morrow County Soil and Water Conservation District (Secretary for LUBGWMA Committee: Kevin D. Payne, District Manager – Natural Resource Specialist)

LUBGWMA Committee Membership Categories and Members (Current)

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, in consultation with local governments and other appropriate state agencies, appoints members to the LUBGWMA Committee (ORS 468B.179). The Committee consists of eleven representatives of 10 membership categories defined by DEQ. One person serves as the primary voting member for each category, except for the General Public category, which has two voting members. Primary members serve as representatives for interests in their category and should bring balanced insights from both Umatilla and Morrow County. There will also be an identified alternate member for each category. Each category is encouraged to ensure that both Morrow and Umatilla Counties’ representations are clearly met. For more info check the ARTICLE 4 in Bylaw.

1. Morrow County – Commissioner Roy Drago Jr. (Primary) ; Tamra Mabbott (Alternate), Morrow County
2. Umatilla County – Commissioner Dan Dorran (committee vice chair, primary); Robert (Bob) Waldher (Alternate), Umatilla County
3. Tribal Government – Eric Quaempts (Primary); Kate Ely (Alternate), Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)
4. City Government – Aaron Palmquist, City of Irrigon (Primary); David Stockdale, City of Umatilla (Alternate)
5. Science and Research – Dr. Salini Sasidharan, Oregon State University (committee chair, Primary); Dr. Ruijun Qin (Ray) (Alternate)
6. Irrigated Agriculture – Jake Madison (Primary); TBD (Alternate), Madison Farms
7. Livestock/Dairy/CAFO – Greg Harris (Primary); Misty Edgecomb (Alternate), Threemile Canyon Farms
8. Industry and Business – Ian Toevs, Lamb Weston (Primary); Debbie Radie, Boardman Foods, Inc. (Alternate)
9. Environmental Nonprofit Organizations – Karen Lewotsky (Primary); Jana Gastellum (Alternate), Oregon Environmental Council
10. General Public (position 1) – Kristin Anderson Ostrom (Primary); Kaleb Lay (Alternate), Oregon Rural Action
11. General Public (position 2) – Jose Garcia, resident and community leader (Primary); Eric Ashford (Alternate)

Supporting State Agencies

The committee is supported by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Department of Agriculture. For questions, contact Laura Gleim of DEQ, [email protected] | 503-577-3697 or Robb Hibbs of ODA, [email protected] | 971-719-1576.

Visit the Agencies and Organizations page to learn more about the roles of local and state government agencies in the LUBGWMA.

LUBGWMA Committee Organizational Structure

Past Members

Commissioner Melissa Lindsay – Morrow County (Category Morrow County)
Scott Lukas – Chair, OSU Extension
Janet Greenup – Lead Agency Implementing Local Action Plan, Morrow SWCD
Miff Devin – Committee Vice-Chair & Food Processor Sub-Committee Chair, Public Water Systems Sub-Committee Co-Chair, Port of Morrow
Scott Morris – Public Water Systems Sub-Committee Co-Chair, City of Stanfield
Aaron Madison – Irrigated Agriculture Sub-Committee Co-Chair, Madison Farms
Mark Millard – Irrigated Agriculture Sub-Committee Co-Chair
Pete Meenderinck – CAFO Sub-Committee Co-Chair, M&P Dairy
Dixie Echeverria – CAFO Sub-Committee Co-Chair, Columbia Feeders
Carla McLane – Rural, Open, & Green Space Sub-Committee Co-Chair, Morrow County Planning
Eileen Laramore – Rural, Open, & Green Space Sub-Committee Co-Chair, Tour of Knowledge
Kyle Waggoner – Livestock Sub-Committee Chair, Umatilla SWCD
Tom Straughan – Livestock Sub-Committee Chair, Umatilla SWCD
Aaron Palmquist – Education / Outreach Sub-Committee Chair, City of Irrigon
Tom Demianew – Committee Member, Oregon Dept of Agriculture

Bylaws

Bylaws refer to the rules established by the LUBGWMA Committee for internal management. The bylaws cover areas of LUBGWMA goals, formalities concerning the holding of meetings, the voting entitlement, the powers, duties, and qualifications of chair and vice chair, provisions for appointing committees members, formation of subcommittees, role of agencies, ground rules, etc.

Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA) Committee Bylaws and Policy Annex, February 2023,Version 2

Preferred Citation: Sasidharan, Salini., Green, Justin., Lewotsky, Karen., Payne, Kevin., and Palmquist, Aaron., 2023. Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA) Committee Bylaws and Policy Annex, 17th February 2023, LUBGWMA Committee, prepared by LUBGWMA Bylaws Subcommittee, Version 2. pp. 40.

Version 2. Bylaws Subcommittee Members (13^th February 2023 – Current)

Salini Sasidharan, LUBGWMA Chair, Oregon State University
Justin Green, Justin B. Green Consulting, Consultant for NOWA
Karen Lewotsky, Oregon Environmental Council
Kevin Payne, Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District
Aaron Palmquist, City of Irrigon

History of Bylaws Formation

A Draft Version 1 of ‘Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area Committee Bylaws and Policy Annex, November 2022’ has been prepared by the LUBGWMA Bylaws Subcommittee, reviewed by LUBGWMA Committee February 2023, and updated Version 2 was presented for approval at the LUBGWMA Committee Public Meeting on February 17th, 2023.

Version 1. Bylaws Subcommittee Members: (3rd September 2022 – 13th February 2023)
Salini Sasidharan, LUBGWMA Chair, Oregon State University
Justin Green, Justin B. Green Consulting, Consultant for NOWA
Karen Lewotsky, Oregon Environmental Council
Kevin Payne, Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District
Aaron Palmquist, City of Irrigon
Randy Jones, Regional Solutions Team, DEQ