LUBGWMA Committee
Advisory Committee

Advisory Committee

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

LUBGWMA Committee Members

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, in consultation with other appropriate state agencies, appoints a local committee to advise state agencies on local elements of long-term plans to reduce contamination in a groundwater management area (ORS 468B.182).

The LUBGWMA Advisory Committee consists of 11 members representing a balance of interests in the area. Primary members serve as representatives for interests in their category and should bring balanced insights from both Umatilla and Morrow County. There may also be an identified alternate member for each category.

The committee is co-convened by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Department of Agriculture, and Oregon Water Resources Department.

  1. Morrow County – Commissioner Roy Drago Jr. (Primary) ; Tamra Mabbott (Alternate), Morrow County
  2. Umatilla County – Commissioner Dan Dorran (primary); Robert (Bob) Waldher (Alternate), Umatilla County
  3. Tribal Government – Eric Quaempts (Primary); Chris Marks (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 (Primary); Dr. Ruijun Qin (Ray) (Alternate)
  6. Irrigated Agriculture – Jake Madison (Primary), 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)

State Agencies

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

For questions, contact Laura Gleim of DEQ, [email protected] | 503-577-3697.

Past Committee Leadership – September 2022 – April 2024

Dr. Salini Sasidharan, Oregon State University (Former Committee Chair, Primary, Science and Research)

Commissioner Dan Dorran (Former Committee Vice Chair, Primary, Umatilla County)

Past Members – 2018-2022

Dr. Scott Lukas, Oregon State University (Former Chair)

Commissioner Melissa Lindsay – Morrow County (Category Morrow County)
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

LUBGWMA Committee Organizational Structure

LUBGWMA-Committee-Structure_2023-2024Download

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

LUBGWMA-Committee_Bylaw_February-17-2023_Version.2_ApprovedDownload (Approved LUBGWMA Committee on 17 February 2023)

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.