Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 541 § 541.689 — Projects requiring determination of seasonally varying flows; methodology

Projects requiring determination of seasonally varying flows; methodology. (1) The Water Resources Department shall make a determination as provided under subsection (2) of this section if an application for a loan or grant from the Water Supply Development Account is for a project that requires a limited license, water right certificate or water right permit that enables the storage of water, either in above-ground storage or in aquifer recharge, outside of the official irrigation season and: (a) Impounds surface water on a perennial stream; (b) Diverts water from a stream that supports state or federally listed sensitive, threatened or endangered fish species; or (c) Diverts more than 500 acre-feet of surface water annually. (2) The department shall review a completed application for a project described in subsection (1) of this section to determine whether the applicable seasonally varying flows have been established under this section for the stream of interest. If the department determines that the applicable seasonally varying flows have not previously been established, the department shall establish the seasonally varying flows before disbursing funds for a loan or grant from the account. The department may use account moneys to pay the cost of establishing a seasonally varying flow, to fund long-term monitoring of compliance with established seasonally varying flows and to pay other costs directly related to project development. (3) The Water Resources Department shall establish any seasonally varying flows under subsection (2) of this section in consultation with the State Department of Fish and Wildlife and any affected Indian tribes. The Water Resources Department may rely upon existing scientific data and analysis or may fund new data and analysis. The Water Resources Department shall establish seasonally varying flows using a methodology established by Water Resources Commission rules. (4) Notwithstanding ORS 537.270, if the department establishes applicable seasonally varying flows for the stream of interest, the department shall make the seasonally varying flows a condition of: (a) The new or existing limited license, water right certificate or water right permit that enables the storage of water, either in above-ground storage or in aquifer recharge, outside of the official irrigation season and that is issued for any project described in subsection (1) of this section that receives a loan or grant from the account; and (b) The new or existing limited license, water right certificate or water right permit issued for any subsequent project that: (A) Receives a loan or grant from the account; (B) Is for either above-ground storage or aquifer recharge outside of the official irrigation season; and (C) Has a diversion point that is subject to seasonally varying flows. (5) The applicant for or holder of a certificate, permit or license described in subsection (4)(b) of this section may request that the applicable seasonally varying flows established under subsection (2) of this section for the stream of interest be altered based upon new information. There is, however, a rebuttable presumption that existing applicable seasonally varying flows protect and maintain the biological, ecological and physical functions of the stream to the extent required by commission rules. (6) The department shall condition a water permit and resulting certificate, aquifer recharge permit and resulting certificate or limited license for a project that receives a grant or loan from the account and meets the other conditions described in subsection (4) of this section to protect the seasonally varying flow in effect at the time, before disbursing funds for the loan or grant for the project. (7) For purposes of any project that receives a loan or grant from the account and meets the other conditions described in subsection (4) of this section, the department shall use a seasonally varying flow methodology provided by commission rules in lieu of any other methodologies for determining seasonally varying flows or any methodologies for determining peak and ecological flows outside of the official irrigation season. (8) Subsections (1) to (7) of this section do not eliminate or alter any applicable standard for department review of an application to determine whether water is available for purposes of reviewing an application for a new limited license, water right certificate or water right permit that enables the storage of water, either in above-ground storage or in aquifer recharge, outside of the official irrigation season. (9) When conditioning an existing limited license, water right certificate or water right permit for aquifer recharge, the department shall only condition the use of water associated with a funded project. [2013 c.784 §13; 2015 c.156 §6; 2025 c.82 §10] Note: See note under 541.651.