Two More Added To the Oregon Water Resources Commission

Last month, the Oregon Senate reappointed Commissioners Joe Moll and Eric Quaempts to their second terms on the Oregon Water Resources Commission. This follows the November 2021 Senate confirmations of Jan Lee, the current executive director of the Oregon Association of Conservation Districts, and Woody Wolfe, Eastern Oregon farmer and rancher, to their first terms on the Commission. 

On the Commission, Lee represents the northwest region of the state, Wolfe represents the eastern region, Moll represents the west central region and Quaempts represents the north central region. The Water Resources Commission is a seven-member citizen panel that sets water resources allocation and management policy for surface water and groundwater within the state. The Commission oversees activities of the Water Resources Department, the state agency charged with administering the laws governing surface water and groundwater resources.  

“We are extremely pleased to have Commissioners Lee and Wolfe confirmed by the Senate,” said Tom Byler, director of the Water Resources Department. “As the governor’s nominees to the Water Resources Commission, they are extremely qualified individuals who will excellently represent their regions and the state as a whole.” 

Lee, who resides in Sandy and is a current member of the city’s Planning Commission, joins the commission with a wealth of water-related experience. She is the former executive director of the NW Hydro Association and the Oregon Water Resources Congress, and the former manager of the Tumalo and Swalley Irrigation Districts in Bend. Lee also served as a member of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the Clackamas County Planning Commission and as a state representative in the Oregon State Legislature. Additionally, Lee served as a Sandy city councilor and as a board member of the National Water Resources Association.    Lee holds a master’s degree in public administration from Lewis and Clark College, with a minor in natural resources policy. 

“I am pleased to serve on the Commission to support water policy programs that will provide us planning tools to lead us into the future to assure the necessary quantity and quality of water supply to maintain Oregon’s resource protection and economy while implementing strategies to adapt to wildfire, climate and other mitigation needs,” Lee stated    

Wolfe, is a 6^th-generation farmer-rancher and owner and operator of Wolfe Farm, Inc. in Wallowa.  He has played a leadership role in multiple conservation projects focused on water rights, point of diversion and point of use transfers, as well as large water efficiency project grants and a conserved water statute. Wolfe is a recipient of the 2016 Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Award of Merit, the 2016 Oregon Hunters Association Citizen Landowner of the Year, and of the 2018 Tyler Hansell Award for Efficiency in Agriculture. Wolfe holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Business Management from Oregon State University, with a minor in Agricultural Resource Economics.  

“I believe water is one of the most, if not the most valuable resource related to agriculture,” Wolfe said.  “As a member of the Water Resources Commission, I have the great opportunity to learn more about water use and represent the agricultural community.”

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