North Coast and Mid-Coast Basins
Instream Water Right Filings
The
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has reinitiated our instream
water right (ISWR) filing process throughout Oregon. As part of the process, ODFW has recently filed
new instream water right applications on the North Coast and Mid-Coast with the
Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD).
For ongoing updates about these applications or the current instream
filing process, we encourage you to visit ODFW’s Water Quality and Quantity
Program website (http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/water/).
In addition, public notifications for water right applications can be found
through OWRD’s Water Rights Public Notice page (http://apps.wrd.state.or.us/apps/misc/wrd_notice_view/?notice_id=21).
ISWR Key Points:
- It is the policy of the state, through ODFW,
the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the Oregon Parks and Recreation
Department, and enabling statutes (ORS 537.332 to 537.360), to apply for ISWRs
to benefit the people of the State of Oregon by maintaining water instream for
public use.
- Public
uses for instream flow include, but are not limited to: recreation, pollution
abatement, navigation, or conservation, maintenance and enhancement of aquatic
and fish life, wildlife, fish and wildlife habitat, and any other ecological
values.
- The need to apply for ISWRs continues to
be highlighted in Oregon’s 2017 Integrated Water Resources Strategy, which
specifically identifies actions to determine instream flow needs and establish
additional instream water rights.
- ISWRs provide target flows necessary for
fish, wildlife, and their habitats, water quality, or recreation as Oregonians
work together to understand and meet the state’s water needs.
- Currently, ODFW is conducting instream
needs studies and filing instream water right applications in support of the conservation,
maintenance, and enhancement of aquatic and fish life, wildlife, and fish and
wildlife habitat to provide optimum recreational and aesthetic benefits for
present and future generations of the citizens of this state (OAR
635-400-0005).
- Instream rights are enforced like all
other water rights. By law, instream (like out-of-stream) rights cannot take
away or impair any legally established water use having an earlier priority
date.
If you have any questions regarding the current
instream filing process or recent applications, please do not hesitate to
contact Anna Pakenham Stevenson at 503-947-6084 or Anna.p.stevenson@state.or.us.
Interested in additional updates?
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up for ODFW’s Water Program Updates on our website
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