| Salem, OR – The Oregon Water Resources
Department is pleased to announce of award of grants to 11
communities for use in their water supply planning efforts.
These awards total $155,000 and are part of the Oregon Water
Supply and Conservation Initiative, approved as part of the
Governor’s budget during the 2007 Legislative Session.
These funds are meant to help communities that are taking a
regional approach to meeting their current and future water
needs. Applicants were eligible for up to $20,000 per
project and had to provide at least an additional 25 percent
cost share. More than 30 applicants responded, requesting
more than $600,000 in total.
“Where communities have convened their citizens and
stakeholders to develop regional solutions to their water
supply challenges, we are pleased to support their efforts,”
noted Phil Ward, Director of the Oregon Water Resources
Department. He continued, “these communities submitted very
competitive applications and we hope for additional funds in
the next budget cycle so that we can assist even more
communities with their water supply planning.”
The communities receiving grants represent diverse
locations across the state, as well as a mix of counties,
cities, and districts. The list features a wide variety of
water supply projects, ranging from water conservation,
banking, storage, and transmission, to policy road-maps,
instream (environmental) issues, and out-of-stream
(municipal and agricultural) demand forecasts.
The recipients of 2008 Oregon Water Supply and
Conservation Grants are listed below, with a brief
description of each proposed project.
|
Recipients of the 2008
Oregon Water Supply and Conservation
Initiative
Community Water Supply
Planning Grants
|
Grant
Recipient |
Brief Project
Description |
|
1. Baker County |
Undertake hydrologic
analysis of the Powder River Basin,
including storage of winter water. |
|
2. Benton
County |
Conduct a county-wide
water analysis and demand forecast. |
|
3. Central Oregon
Cities Organization (COCO), with the
Deschutes Basin Board of Control and
the Deschutes River Conservancy |
Market the Deschutes
Water Alliance Water Bank. |
|
4. Clackamas River
Water Providers |
Model streamflows in
the Clackamas River, including the
effect that releases from Timothy
Lake may have on water quality and
quantity. |
|
5. Crook County |
Determine how
unallocated water in the Prineville
Reservoir can be utilized, while
maintaining existing reservoir uses. |
|
6. East Valley
Water District |
Identify potential
pipeline routes, for water delivery |
|
7. Southern
Willamette Valley Municipal Water
Providers, led by Eugene Water
and Electric Board (EWEB)
|
Develop a plan to
address technical and policy
obstacles to using U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers reservoirs in the
Willamette Basin for municipal and
industrial purposes. |
|
8. Northwest
Coastal Water Supply Task Force, led
by the City of Seaside |
Forecast water
demands at the municipal and county
level in Clatsop County. |
|
9. Oregon Water
Trust in Jackson County |
Assess the
possibility of a water bank in
Jackson County. |
|
10. Polk County and
Lincoln County |
Study water needs in
Polk and Lincoln counties; conduct
feasibility study of a storage
project on the Upper Siletz River |
|
11. Umatilla County |
Map potential
beneficiaries of a project to
replace ground water rights with
available surface water. |
|
|
Contact:
Brenda Bateman, Senior Policy Coordinator, 503-986-0879 |
