Important Well Information for all of Oregon | Must Know!

Below you will find a copy of an email that the Oregon Association of Realtors sent out to those who subscribe to their newletter.

I have several properties listed that would require a well if one wanted to build a home (well if they wanted water anyway) Most of the southern part of Deschutes County is on wells along with a largre percent of the rest of Oregon.

Most Oregonians that do not live in metropolitan areas could be affected by this bil.

If House Bill 2566 is passed, every time someone needed to drill a well they would have to go through even more paperwork and process then they currently do.

Only 1% of the ground water currently used is used by these wells - and most of that is returned to the aqua system. Please visit the links, do what you feel is right.

CALL TO ACTION - WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The House Energy and Environment Committee will be holding a public hearing on HB 2566 on Friday, April 27 at 1:00 p.m. in Hearing Room C of the State Capitol Building.

To review a copy of the bill, go to:

https://srowa.sunriver-resort.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/hb2500.dir/hb2566.intro.pdf

The Association adamantly opposes HB 2566 because of the severely negative impact it will have on rural landowners and rural property values. We need you to show up to demonstrate your opposition to this terribly unfair and restrictive legislation! If you are unable to attend in-person, you can watch the hearing online at: http://www.oregonchannel.org/rams.htm

We also need you to send an email to your State Representative informing him/her of your opposition to this legislation. Please follow the instructions at the bottom of this page to send your message.

HB 2566 would eliminate the groundwater permitting exemption for domestic wells. This permitting exemption has existed in Oregon's water law since groundwater permitting was required in the 1950s. It allows a landowner to dig a well for household use on the landowner's property without going through the same difficult and expensive permitting process that municipalities and large irrigators use to obtain groundwater rights.

The existing exemption makes sense because the amount of groundwater used for domestic use is negligible. According to the USGS, domestic wells account for less than 1% of the water used in Oregon. Additionally, most of the water withdrawn is returned to the aquifer.

Finally, the Water Resources Commission already has the authority to regulate these wells if there is a groundwater problem. HB 2566 expands this authority and goes too far.

HB 2566 is an anti-development bill that imposes new requirements on rural landowners in an attempt to prevent them from building a home. Please help fight this unfair legislation.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
votervoice.net/target.aspx?id=orar:14475969