OWRD to discuss groundwater rights in Harney Basin
By Logan Bagett on Tuesday, February 4th, 2025 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
BURNS – (Press Release from the Oregon Water Resources Department)
Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) is set to hold a community meeting in at the Harney County Community Center on Monday, February 10 to discuss conditions on water permits related to groundwater levels.
In late December 2024, OWRD issued letters to 17 groundwater rights holders in the Harney Basin informing them that they no longer met one of the conditions on their permits that required water to remain within 25 feet of their reference static water level assigned when their right was issued. This letter required the water rights holders to stop all groundwater pumping from all of the water wells specified in their letter. The letters instructed the water right holders to stop all groundwater pumping on the wells identified within the individual letters effective March 2025. Shortly after hearing concerns from local leaders and groundwater right holders impacted by this decision, OWRD extended the effective date of the groundwater regulation to March 2026 (one year later) and responded to the request to host a community meeting.
This community meeting is intended to inform both the broader community and the groundwater rights holders impacted by this regulation about the decision to regulate, the next steps, and other opportunities for improving the groundwater situation in the basin. During the meeting, there will be time to ask and get questions answered about this particular effort by the Department. The meeting will be held at the Harney County Community Center. It starts at 5:30 p.m., and a virtual option to attend is offered, but registering in advance is required.
Community Meeting Details
Date: Monday, February 10
Time: 5:30-7 p.m.
Location: Both in-person and virtual
In-Person: Harney County Community Center, 478 N Broadway Ave, Burns, OR 97720
Virtually (via Zoom): Community Meeting Registration Link
If you have questions about the community meeting, please contact Alexandria Scott by email at Alexandria.I.SCOTT@water.oregon.gov or call 503-871-4283.
For more announcements about OWRD efforts in the Harney Basin, sign up on GovDelivery.
The Oregon Water Resources Department is the state agency charged with studying, allocating, and distributing water in Oregon. Visit www.oregon.gov/owrd.
