Chapter 390 Oregon Laws 2001

AN ACT

SB 710

Relating to trading of water rights.

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. (1) The Water Resources Department shall create a work group to study issues related to the trading of water rights between municipalities and other nonmunicipal ground water users. The Water Resources Director may appoint a person from the department to chair the work group and shall appoint interested stakeholders and representatives from appropriate state agencies. The work group shall identify, analyze and recommend:

(a) Statutory modifications, if necessary, by which surface water or ground water appropriations may be traded to or otherwise used by nonmunicipal ground water appropriators to mitigate the increased appropriation costs or declining ground water levels caused by municipal appropriations; and

(b) Practicable and equitable solutions, other than statutory modifications, that may compensate nonmunicipal ground water users if a ground water appropriation of a municipality causes other ground water users to experience increased appropriation costs or causes substantial interference between wells in the area.

(2) The work group shall report its findings to the appropriate interim legislative committee prior to the beginning of the Seventy-second Legislative Assembly. The work group shall request that any legislation proposed by the work group indicate that the legislation is introduced at the request of the work group. The work group may prepare the legislation in time for presession filing pursuant to ORS 171.130 for presentation to the regular session of the Seventy-second Legislative Assembly.

Approved by the Governor June 15, 2001

Filed in the office of Secretary of State June 15, 2001

Effective date January 1, 2002

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