Or. Admin. Code § 690-507-0610 - Butter Creek Critical Groundwater Area (CGWA): Purpose

(1) The Director issued an order on August 18, 1986 declaring the Butter Creek Critical Groundwater Area. The order described the exterior boundaries and divided the area into six subareas for the purpose of managing the ground-water resource. The response of ground-water levels to pumpage from each subarea is largely independent of pumpage within other subareas.

(2) To promote optimum use of the limited groundwater supply in the Butter Creek Critical Groundwater Area, the Commission encourages development of water management plans to maintain a high standard of water use efficiency.

(3) The Commission recognizes that exempt users in the North subarea are a stress on the groundwater resource in the Butter Creek Critical Groundwater Area. If, by 2000, reasonably stable water levels have not been achieved, the Department shall determine whether or not to require prior authorization under these rules for groundwater uses that are exempt under ORS 537.545.

(4) The purpose of these rules is to stabilize water levels in the basalt groundwater reservoir in the Butter Creek Critical Groundwater Area of Umatilla and Morrow counties. These rules carry out the authority granted to the Commission in ORS 536.900 to 536.935 and ORS 537.505 to 537.745.

Notes

Or. Admin. Code § 690-507-0610

WRD 9-1990, f. & cert. ef. 6-25-90; WRD 2-1999, f. & cert. ef. 3-3-99; WRD 2-2017, f. & cert. ef. 5/22/2017

Stat. Auth.: ORS 536 & 537

Stats. Implemented: ORS 537.535