(1) No registration, certificate of registration, application for a permit, permit, certificate of completion or ground water right certificate under ORS 537.505 to 537.795 and 537.992 is required for the use of ground water for:
(a) Stockwatering purposes;
(b) Watering any lawn or noncommercial garden not exceeding one-half acre in area;
(c) Watering the lawns, grounds and fields not exceeding 10 acres in area of schools located within a critical ground water area established pursuant to ORS 537.730 to 537.740;
(d) Single or group domestic purposes in an amount not exceeding 15,000 gallons a day;
(e) Down-hole heat exchange purposes;
(f) Any single industrial or commercial purpose in an amount not exceeding 5,000 gallons a day; or
(g) Land application, so long as the ground water:
(A) Has first been appropriated and used under a permit or certificate issued under ORS 537.625 or 537.630 for a water right issued for industrial purposes or a water right authorizing use of water for confined animal feeding purposes;
(B) Is reused for irrigation purposes and the period of irrigation is a period during which the reused water has never been discharged to the waters of the state; and
(C) Is applied pursuant to a permit issued by the Department of Environmental Quality or the State Department of Agriculture under either ORS 468B.050 to construct and operate a disposal system or ORS 468B.215 to operate a confined animal feeding operation.
(2) The use of ground water for a use exempt under subsection (1) of this section, to the extent that it is beneficial, constitutes a right to appropriate ground water equal to that established by a ground water right certificate issued under ORS 537.700. Except for the use of water under subsection (1)(g) of this section, the Water Resources Commission by rule may require any person or public agency using ground water for any such purpose to furnish information with regard to such ground water and the use thereof. For a use of water described in subsection (1)(g) of this section, the Department of Environmental Quality or the State Department of Agriculture shall provide to the Water Resources Department a copy of the permit issued under ORS 468B.050 or 468B.215 authorizing the land application of ground water for reuse. The permit shall provide the information regarding the place of use of such water and the nature of the beneficial reuse.
(3) If it is necessary for the Water Resources Department to regulate the use or distribution of ground water, including uses exempt under subsection (1) of this section, the department shall use as a priority date for the exempt uses the date indicated in the log for the well filed with the department under ORS 537.765 or other documentation provided by the well owner showing when water use began. [1955 c.708 §5; 1983 c.372 §1; 1983 c.698 §1; 1985 c.673 §48; 1989 c.99 §1; 1989 c.833 §57; 1997 c.244 §3; 2001 c.248 §12; 2003 c.594 §2]
Section: Previous 537.525 537.530 537.531 537.532 537.534 537.535 537.540 537.545 537.550 537.560 537.570 537.575 537.580 537.585 537.590 NextLast modified: August 7, 2008