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| Learning About and Applying for Water Rights |
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Under Oregon law, all water is publicly owned. With some exceptions, cities, farmers, factory owners and other users must obtain a permit or water right from the Water Resources Department to use water from any source— whether it is underground, or from lakes or streams. Landowners with water flowing past, through, or under their property do not automatically have the right to use that water without a permit from the Department.
Water rights are obtained in a three-step process. The applicant first must apply to the Department for a permit to use water. Once a permit is granted, the applicant must construct a water system and begin using water. When water is applied, the permit holder must hire a certified water rights examiner to complete a survey of water use and submit to the Department a map and report detailing how and where water is being applied. If water has been used according to the provisions of the permit, a water right certificate is issued based upon the report findings.
For a brief overview of water rights and water law in Oregon, click Aqua Book.
For forms to apply for a water right, click water right application forms.
When applying to the Department, you may need help from a Certified Water Rights Examiner. This individual is certified to collect and report data and conduct surveys. To find one in your area, click Certified Water Rights Examiner Listing (PDF 38 KB).
After an application is submitted to the Department, a notice is published and comments may be made from either the public and/or other state agencies. To view the latest public notices for Water Right activities, access the Water Rights Public Notice.
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| Access Water Right Data and Maps |
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The Department has a variety of online tools for accessing information about water rights. Our main tool is the Water Rights Information System. This database allows for summary reports as well as detailed information on individual water rights. Our Interactive Mapping page provides a geographical look at water rights and related data. For a downloadable custom map visit our Water Right Map page. To access water rights by township, range and section please use our Plat Card Report utility. A trip to our Vault provides access to scanned images of original documents and maps.
To decipher several of the codes and abbreviations used in our databases, use the key.
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| Water Availability Report System |
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Water Availability Report System - Estimated streamflow and surface water availability in Oregon. Water availability is the amount of water that can be appropriated from a given point on a given stream for new out-of-stream consumptive uses. It is obtained from the natural stream flow by subtracting existing in-stream water rights and out-of-stream consumptive uses. For a detailed description of the Water Availability Report program and the methodology used to develop it, you may review the report titled Determining Water Availability in Oregon (PDF 4.7 MB).
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| Drought Watch |
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For current water conditions in Oregon, water conservation information, and Emergency Drought Permit forms, go to the Drought Watch website.
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| Water Use Report |
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Click here for more information about the Water Use Reporting program.
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