Bill > SB673

This bill addresses water appropriation from the Columbia River in eastern Oregon by instructing the Water Resources Commission to encourage (but not financially support) projects that seek water rights from the river's mainstem. Specifically, the bill allows the Water Resources Commission to approve water rights for eastern Oregon projects, while ensuring compliance with federal law and existing interstate compacts. The bill also requires state agencies to grant easements over their real property if those easements are necessary to facilitate water appropriation from the Columbia River. By modifying existing statutes, the bill provides a legal framework for water rights that would otherwise be prohibited under current Oregon law, with the goal of supporting water resource development in eastern Oregon. The bill maintains that existing state water resource laws (ORS chapters 536 to 540) will continue to apply, except where they conflict with the new provisions, thereby creating a targeted exception to support water appropriation efforts in the region.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/SB673