Working Hard to Keep the System Strong

By Kris Polly

The history of the Wenatchee Reclamation District reaches back to the end of the 19th century, and some of its infrastructure—including wooden pipes and flumes— dates back to the early 20th century. Over the decades, the aging of this legacy infrastructure as well as changes in land use and urbanization have taken their toll, and the district must respond. In our interview with Manager Waylon Marshall, we hear about the many initiatives the district is taking to keep its system strong for many years to come.

Then, we speak with Bill Plummer about his amazing career: He was the regional director of two different Bureau of Reclamation regions and the assistant regional director of a third; was the director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources; managed an irrigation district; spent time with the federal government in Washington, DC; and consulted for agricultural districts and governments in the United States and abroad. He tells us about his experience, accomplishments, and advice for other managers.

The rest of this issue is dedicated to conversations with members of irrigation district boards of directors. In the past, Irrigation Leader has published multiple managers’ issues that have been dedicated to profiling and interviewing the managers of irrigation districts across the country. This month, we bring you a directors’ issue, featuring members of boards of directors from 14 states and a foreign country.

Directors are foundational to the successful operation of an irrigation district. Bringing their own professional experience and their connections in and knowledge of their communities, they inform the overall direction of the district, help advise the manager, represent stakeholders, and help communicate the organization’s mission. We ask our directors why they chose this leadership position, what they’ve learned, and what their advice is for new managers.

I’d also like to call your attention to an upcoming initiative of Irrigation Leader magazine. We are working to put together an irrigation district directors’ handbook, drawing on the insights of many current board members from across the West. Our working title is simply the Board Members’ Guide. Our intention is include any and all information that may be helpful for a board member to be successful. We’d love to have our readers involved in the creation of this resource so that we can ensure that it’s the most informative and powerful resource it can be. In the near future, we will be reaching out to irrigation districts to see whether they want to participate in the development of this guide. All who participate will have access to it.

Whether you are a member of a board of directors yourself, are considering joining a board, or are simply curious about what a director does, I am certain that you’ll find much of interest in this insiders’ look into their work.

Kris Polly is the editor-in-chief of Irrigation Leader magazine and the president of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may be contacted at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.