A changing climate, aging infrastructure and lack of sustained investment have resulted in stress on Oregon’s water systems, with communities of color disproportionately affected, according to a recent report by the Oregon Water Futures Project.

“As a technology, water was harnessed, channeled both for domestic use and for industrial shipping lanes,” observed Emily Lawhead, a PhD student in the Department of the History of Art and Architecture (HAA). “Water also seeped its way into Edo mythology, where it emerged as ominous ghost-monsters and as a productive safety barrier between Japan and foreign realms.”

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The report says climate change, aging infrastructure and lack of investment in clean water have put extra stress on communities of color, especially those living in rural and low-income communities.