Oregon water infrastructure in catch-up mode

Oregon has long lagged behind its neighbors in developing water infrastructure.

Washington passed its Watershed Planning Act in 1998, and has since spent more than $100 million on local government watershed planning and management.

And, since 2002, California has spent $40 million on water management planning and $750 million on implementing those plans since 2002.

Now, Oregon is moving to catch up.

It’s currently accepting applications for the first round of loans and grants from a new Water Supply Development Account.

The initiative stems from 2013’s Senate Bill 839, which established the account to provide grants and loans for water projects, and charged a Governor-appointed task force with working out the details of the program.

The Legislature initially authorized $22 million for projects, with about half of that targeted toward the Umatilla area.

In March, the task force submitted its report, and in July, the legislature approved a $54 million water infrastructure package including:

• $6.25 million more in bonding toward the Water Supply Development Account.
• $20 million in bonding to recapitalize the Water Development Loan Fund, which finances water development projects.
• $1 million in bonding for grants to repair, replace or remediate wells in the Mosier Creek area.
• $11 million in bonding for grants or contracts to pay for water supply projects in the Umatilla basin.-$2 million in bonding for grants to pay for feasibility studies for water conservation, reuse or storage projects.
• $750,000 included in the Water Resources Department’s budget for grants to communities to develop plans to identify how they will meet their current and future water needs.

"As our state population grows and the climate changes globally, Oregon communities must become resilient to the reality of low snowpack and less annual rainfall," Gov. Kate Brown said. "This funding helps local communities develop plans and infrastructure to manage and optimize water resources."

tloew@statesmanjournal.com, (503) 399-6779 or follow at Twitter.com/Tracy_Loew