Though the Oregon Senate has confirmed Ivan Gall as the state’s top water official, its May 31 decision did not give the impression of a ringing endorsement.

Before the Senate voted 17-10 in favor of Gall’s appointment as director of the Oregon Water Resources Department, the floor debate was dominated by complaints about the agency’s performance.

Much of the discussion consisted of Republican lawmakers faulting Gall for contributing to OWRD’s perceived dysfunction, or at least failing to prevent problems during his long tenure at the agency.

“Even though he’s technically qualified, he’s an insider,” said Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale. “We need someone to come in and change the trajectory of this agency.”

Misgivings remain

Even the Democratic lawmakers who spoke in support of his appointment expressed misgivings about his ability to reform the department’s operations.

“I am not 100% convinced Mr. Gall will effect the kind of change he said he will effect at OWRD,” said Sen. Elizabeth Steiner, D-Portland.

However, Steiner urged her colleagues to trust Gov. Tina Kotek’s decision to nominate Gall for the position, noting that her office will “watch like a hawk” to ensure he rises to the occasion.

“He’s going to be on a very short leash,” she said, adding that he’ll quickly have to show results. “If not, I don’t think Mr. Gall will last very long as director.”

Lawmakers listed several frustrations with OWRD’s performance, including its persistent backlog of pending water transactions, large volume of litigation over water decisions and inability to stop groundwater declines.

Gall has worked at the department for the past quarter-century, most recently as its interim deputy director and before that as chief of its field services division.

Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls, called Gall’s track record with the field services division “atrocious,” citing the widespread water theft and illegal water uses by cannabis producers in Southern Oregon.

“Nothing ever happens of any consequence and Mr. Gall is the one in charge of all this,” Linthicum said.

Gall has subscribed to OWRD’s mindset that “one shoe size fits all feet” in devising and enforcing water regulations that don’t neatly apply to the state’s diverse hydrology and aren’t backed up with data, Linthicum said.

“It’s a dangerous narrative for us to be trapped in,” he said. “Show me the science. There is no science. It’s just a rule.”

Lawmakers’ warning

Earlier in the week, Gall won the recommendation of a key legislative committee to head OWRD but was warned to watch his step.

“We’re going to be watching,” said Steiner. “We’re going to be watching because we want you to succeed and we know it’s going to be tough.”

Though the Senate Rules Committee voted 3-2 in support of his nomination, he was only one among nearly 100 candidates for executive appointment to receive less than unanimous approval during the hearing.

The OWRD faces a lack of trust among those it serves, and some perceive Gall as part of the problem due to his long tenure at the agency, Steiner said.

“There’s a real concern about you coming from the inside,” she said.

In his pitch to the committee, Gall alluded to the complaints among irrigators and other water users that OWRD is due for reform.

“I’m prepared to make the changes necessary to modernize water management in Oregon,” he said. “Water has changed in Oregon. What has worked in the past is no longer working for us.”

Gall said he planned to tackle problems at the agency with a “360-degree review” of OWRD’s executive team, outreach to water users and environmental advocates, and a push to reduce the agency’s backlog of pending water transactions.

The agency doesn’t relish dealing with unpleasant surprises and it’s no wonder that water users feel the same way, which is why OWRD must work to improve transparency and communication, Gall said.

“Building that trust is important and that trust-building needs to occur before issues occur,” he said.

Referring to his status as an OWRD insider, Gall presented his decades of experience as an asset in confronting the difficult problems on the horizon.

“I understand the ins and outs,” he said. “Day one, I can hit the ground running.”

Apart from soliciting feedback from the water community and examining the agency’s leadership team, Gall said his longer-term priority will be updating the state’s water code.

“It’s outdated and it’s not doing the job it needs to do for Oregonians,” he said.