
Molly Reid
Senior Planner
Hired
- 2018
Location
- Kennewick, WA
Water rights is a complicated issue with layers of overlapping regulation affecting a lot of diverse stakeholders, and it’s Molly’s job to sort it all out for our clients. By cultivating authentic relationships with her clients, Molly is able to understand their needs and look for cooperative solutions.
“We are always looking for creative ways to save, find, and move water while at the same time keeping the entities whole in their water rights,” Molly explains. “A lot of the folks that I have provided support to have become life-long friends.”
Managing water resources is a generational tradition for Molly’s family. Her grandfather was a surveyor for the state of Oregon before the establishment of the Oregon Water Resources Department. He surveyed water rights throughout the state during his career and passed on his passion for protecting and managing natural resources to Molly.
“I grew up with an understanding of how important water rights were for landowners, agricultural users, industry, city and towns,” Molly says.
Molly’s passion for both people and natural resources is obvious in her training and work experience. She focused on liberal arts studies, geology, and art while in school at Eastern Oregon University before entering the psychiatric field. But Molly’s passion for natural resources eventually convinced her to follow in her grandfather’s steps—so she put her people skills to work as a water rights regulator for the state of Oregon before eventually switching to the private sector and water rights consultation.
“It’s always been about the people. Both who you work with, and who you work for,” Molly says. “A positive working environment surrounded by people who support the type of work that you do makes coming to work worthwhile.”
When she’s not hard at work for her clients, you might find Molly reading, gardening, traveling, or enjoying music and the wine that her water resources work helps provide. She’s also a rock collector who’s always on the lookout for new rock-eggs to add to her collection.