Oregon
Water
Resources
Congress
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To: Chair Devlin Members of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources
From: Anita Winkler, Oregon Water Resources Congress Willie Tiffany, League of Oregon Cities Amanda Rich, Special Districts Association of Oregon Katie Fast, Oregon Farm Bureau Federation Jeff Stone, Oregon Association of Nurseries John DeVoe, WaterWatch of Oregon
Date: March 19, 2007
Subject: HB 5050
A coalition of groups whose members have frequent interaction with the Water Resources Department offers this testimony on behalf of the Department’s budget. In a fairly short time frame this diverse group came to a unanimous agreement which is outlined in this letter.
The use and conservation of Oregon's water resources is one of the most important and pressing issues facing the state. The interest groups represented in this memorandum rarely agree on how to address the issue, however, we all agree on the need to have an adequately staffed Water Resources Department to enable it to carry out its role in managing water and ensuring water supply for all the state’s needs as a key component to economic development and stability in Oregon. To this end, we support the Governor’s budget for the Water Resources Department as submitted to the Legislature with two additions. The undersigned groups believe the two recommended additions are critical and equal in importance and should be additive in nature, that is, no other aspect of the Department’s capacity should be cut to incorporate these two additions.
Over the last several biennia the Department has had faced reduced budgets with no commensurate reduction in work load. Quite the opposite, the need for water for myriad purposes in the State has resulted in increasing applications for water rights or transactions involving water rights. Last biennium the Legislature recognized the Department’s need to rebuild and began that process in the adopted budget. The 2008-09 budget continues this trend and we appreciate the Governor’s recognition of the critical role the Department plays in managing the water resources of the State.
This Governor’s budget restores several programs key to continued environmental stewardship, a healthy agricultural economy and meeting the demands of growth and economic development. Nevertheless, we believe there are two Department activities that need additional resources: staff to address the backlog of water right certificates and funding for groundwater studies.
We support two additional positions in the Water Rights and Adjudications Division for processing and issuing water rights certificates. The Department estimates they have a ten-year backlog which is unacceptable. Without a water right certificate, the permit holder is left with a water right that is not vested and is unable to transfer that water right to different land (in the case of irrigation) or do anything else with the permit. It also hampers the ability to manage water to reduce water consumption, improve conservation, and ensure that the water is being used where it will provide most benefit. Quite simply, uncertificated water rights remain in a kind of limbo, reflecting the original application without regard to changing needs, technology, or land uses. In a water short, year, water managers are without the tools needed to be able to best utilize what little water will be available to them for crop production. The estimated expense for these two positions is $276,228.
We also support funding for groundwater investigations and studies. Communities across the state are facing development pressures that may have an impact on groundwater resources. The department needs the information from these studies to effectively manage ground water and surface water for appropriate uses as well as instream water right protection. In addition, funds budgeted by the State provide a dollar for dollar match for available federal funding. Without these funds, Oregon is leaving available federal money on the table. Effective groundwater management could produce significant benefits for critical watersheds. As such, Measure 66 funds may be a source of funding to be able to continue this program and serve as the match for the federal funds.
While we all recognize the quandary you and the full Ways and Means Committee face in balancing a budget, we encourage you to approve the Governor’s budget with these two additions. This package will help insure the Department is prepared for its critical role in guiding Oregon through a time when the demands for water exceed the available resources and water is becoming critical to the long-term economic and environmental success of the State. To State Legslation
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