Butte Falls bulletin., April 01, 2007, Page 3, Image 3

C IT IZ E N S F O R O R E G O N P O N D S
Advocating the environmentally responsible use of ponds to support
fish, wildlife, plant diversity, soil conservation, fire fighting and recreation
M a rc h 1 6 , 2 0 0 7
D e a r I n te r e s te d O r e g o n ia n ,
T h is le tte r is to in f o r m y o u o f a s itu a tio n th a t w ill a f f e c t y o u d ir e c tly o r in d ir e c tly .
Y o u m a y b e a w a r e th a t th e r e a r e th o u s a n d s o f s m a ll p o n d s o f v a r io u s s iz e s o n b o th p u b lic a n d p r iv a te la n d s
th ro u g h o u t th e w a te rsh e d s o f O re g o n .
A lth o u g h m a n y c a n b e le g a lly u s e d f o r ir r ig a tio n , m o s t o f th e s e p o n d s
s e r v e n o n - c o n s u m p tiv e u s e s . D u r in g th e r a in y s e a s o n th e s e p o n d s r e d u c e f lo o d in g , c o n ta in s e d im e n ta tio n ,
r e d u c e s o il e r o s io n a n d im p r o v e w a te r q u a lity w h ile a llo w in g s u r f a c e r u n - o f f to c o n tin u e f lo w in g d o w n s tr e a m .
D u r in g th e d r y s e a s o n , th e s e p o n d s r e c h a r g e a q u if e rs a n d p r o v id e in m a n y p la c e s th e o n ly y e a r r o u n d w a te r f o r
f is h a n d w ild lif e h a b ita t a n d a r e e s s e n tia l f o r c o n tr o llin g w ild f ir e s a n d s tr u c tu r a l f ir e s . S e e p a g e f r o m th e s e
p o n d s is o f te n th e s o le s o u r c e o f w a te r to m a in ta in w e tla n d s .
W h a t y o u m ig h t n o t k n o w is th a t O R S 5 3 6 .4 0 0 e t. s e q . r e q u ir e s th a t p o n d s h a v e p e r m its f r o m th e O r e g o n
W a te r R e s o u r c e s D e p a r tm e n t ( O W R D ) . L a n d - o w n e r s u n a w a r e o f th is p a r tic u la r la w h a v e b u ilt n e w p o n d s o r
p u r c h a s e d p r o p e r ty w ith p r e - e x is tin g p o n d s w h o s e le g a l s ta tu s w a s n o t a c o n c e r n . B u t, m a n y o f th e s e p o n d s lie
w ith in w a te r s h e d s w h o s e w a te r s h a v e b e e n le g a lly “ w ith d r a w n ” f r o m th e p u b lic d o m a in f o r th e e x c lu s iv e u s e o f
n e a r b y m u n ic ip a litie s . ( T h o u g h O W R D d o e s n o t h a v e a c e n tr a l d a ta b a s e o n h o w m a n y w a te r s h e d s a r e a f f e c te d
th e r e a r e a p p r o x im a te ly 4 0 in th e W illa m e tte V a lle y a lo n e .) S o m e m u n ic ip a litie s h a v e c la im e d
ALL o f t h e
s u r f a c e w a te r in e n tir e w a te r s h e d s , a m u c h la r g e r la n d a r e a th a n w a s o r ig in a lly im p lie d .
R e c e n tly , O W R D h a s d e te r m in e d , b e c a u s e o f th is w ith d r a w a l, it h a s n o ju r is d ic tio n to g r a n t p e r m its to th e s e
p o n d s a n d h a s e v e n o r d e r e d s o m e n o n - p e r m itte d p o n d s to b e d r a in e d . T h e v e r y r e a l p o s s ib ility is th a t e v e r y n o n ­
p e r m itte d p o n d c o u ld b e o r d e r e d to b e d r a in e d b e c a u s e o f a la c k o f a p e r m it. C u r r e n tly , d u e to O W R D ’s
d e te r m in a tio n , th e r e is n o w a y to g e t th e p o n d s p e r m itte d u n le s s th e la w is a m e n d e d . P e r h a p s th e m a jo r ity o f
s m a ll p o n d s in O r e g o n d o n o t h a v e p e r m its . T h e is s u e is v e r y lik e ly to h a v e a n im p o r ta n t im p a c t u p o n th e
in te r e s ts o f y o u o r y o u r g r o u p .
T h e lo s s to f ire a g e n c ie s ( c ity , c o u n ty , s ta te , a n d f e d e r a l) in a d d itio n to th e lo s s o f f is h a n d w ild lif e h a b ita t,
p la n t d iv e r s ity a n d r e c r e a tio n is o b v io u s a n d w o u ld b e f e lt th e m o s t d u r in g h o t a n d d r y s u m m e r m o n th s in
p la c e s w h e re w a te r a v a ila b ility is a t th e lo w e s t le v e ls .
T h e r e is a v ita l n e e d f o r a p e r m ittin g p r o c e s s th a t w o u ld a t le a s t s e c u r e s o m e e x is tin g s m a ll p o n d s . T o
a c c o m p lis h th is , O r e g o n s ta te s e n a to r D o u g W h its e tt h a s s u b m itte d b e f o r e th e S ta te L e g is la tu r e S B 9 0 8 , w h ic h
in its c u r r e n t f o r m s ta te s :
O R S 5 3 8 .4 3 0 ( 5 ) “ N o th in g in th is s e c tio n s h a ll p r e v e n t w ith d r a w n w a te r s f r o m b e in g s to r e d in p o n d s
o f 2 5 a c r e f e e t o r le s s f o r f is h a n d w ild lif e , r e c r e a tio n , a n d f ir e - f ig h tin g . S u c h s to r a g e s h a ll c o m p ly w ith
a n y a p p lic a b le p e r m ittin g r e q u ir e m e n ts . T h is p r o v is io n s h a ll a p p ly r e tr o a c tiv e ly to a n y p o n d s in
e x is te n c e a s o f th e d a te o f p a s s a g e o f th is A c t.”
T h is p r o p o s e d le g is la tio n d o e s n o t c r e a te a w a te r r ig h t f o r c o n s u m p tiv e u s e o f th e w a te r to a n y o n e . T h is
le g is la tio n d o e s n o t d e n y a n y w a te r to a n y m u n ic ip a lity .
W e a r e a g r a s s r o o ts c itiz e n g r o u p th a t h a s b e c o m e a le rte d to th e d a n g e rs o f th e c u r r e n t le g a l s ta tu s o f p o n d s
in O re g o n . T h o u g h S B 9 0 8 o n ly a d d r e s s e s th e s ta tu s o f p r e - e x is tin g p o n d s in th e B ig B u tte C r e e k w a te r s h e d ,
th e r e a re m a n y o th e r w a te r s h e d s in O r e g o n w h e r e w e b e lie v e th e le g a l s ta n d in g o f p o n d s w ill s o o n e r o r la te r b e
s im ila r ly c h a lle n g e d . P le a s e c o n s id e r w r itin g a le tte r s u p p o r tin g S B 9 0 8 to :
C o u r t S t. N E S -3 0 2 , S a le m , O R 9 7 3 0 1 o r, e m a il h im a t
S e n a to r D o u g W h i ts e t t, 9 0 0
T h e p r o p o s e d le g is la tio n w ill b e u n d e r c o n s id e r a tio n s o o n a n d i f y o u w a n t y o u r v o ic e h e a r d , y o u m u s t a c t
n o w . W e th a n k y o u w a r m ly f o r y o u r s u p p o r t in th is im p o r ta n t m a tte r . C o n ta c t G a r y H a r r in g to n a t 5 4 1 - 8 6 5 -
7 5 9 0 f o r m o re in f o r m a tio n o r s e n d y o u r q u e s tio n s to th e a d d r e s s b e lo w .
C itiz e n s fo r O re g o n P o n d s
P .O . B o x 1 4 4
B u tte F a lls , O r e g o n 9 7 5 2 2
E m a il a d d r e s s : c 4 o r p o n d s @ y a h o o .c o m
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