HCWC Meetings and Events

Next Watershed Council meetings will be October 15, November 19, December17, 2024

The Watershed Council regularly meets on the third Tuesday of the month from 5:30 – 7:30pm.

Please contact the council office if you would like a Zoom invite to the meeting!!

The next Community Based Water Planning Full Collaborative meeting will be a hybrid in-person and virtual Zoom meeting.  Scheduled for  October 22, November 19 and December 16, 2024.    Those wishing to meet in person can gather at the Harney County Community Center.  A working dinner will be provided.
(Or see the CBWP page and calendar)

 Please contact the Council office for the Zoom invite, or check the CBWP calendar on this website to access the log-in information.

The website for Community Based Water Planning can be found here      Harney Water Future

 The CREP proposal has been finalized and the draft EIS is available at the Watershed Council office.  The program should be up and running shortly, applications can be made to Graham Thomas with OWRD.  

Requirements for lands to be included in the program:

Applicants must demonstrate that the enrollment of their field will result in a clear and direct reduction in groundwater use.  to be eligible for the Harney Valley Groundwater CREP, fields must be irrigated by groundwater, and have documentation of using at least 2.0 acre-feet/acre/year for irrigating purposes.  The applicant must demonstrate how the clear and direct reduction in groundwater use will be achieved.  Eligibility will be reviewed by OWRD. 

Lands eligible must meet the following:

• Documented annual consumptive use of groundwater of at least 2-acre feet per acre each year in 4 out of 5 years as identified by OWRD using Open-ET or measured use
• The applicant is the landowner and has owned the irrigated land to be enrolled for at least one year
• Be the place of use under a permit or certificated groundwater right for which the application and water use are in compliance as determined by OWRD
• The applicant has submitted an affidavit of voluntary cancellation for the water rights associated with the field(s) proposed for enrollment 

Comply with all CRP eligibility requirements:

• Be able to document groundwater savings of at least 2.0 acre-feet/acre/year.
• Have an NRCS approved conservation plan
• Complete NEPA and Cultural requirements

Groundwater Study Advisory Committee     A final wrap up session was held Wednesday, October 12th at the Community Center in Burns.  Presentations outlining the results of the study were presented and OWRD shared the next steps to forming the Rules Advisory Committee were shared.  A Rules Advisory Committee will be convened before May 2023 to update the Basin Rules regarding Irrigation into the future.     The USGS/OWRD report has completed Peer Review and has now been published!!  (April 2022)

  Basin Rule-making will be reconvened within 1 year of the study being published (see below).  A public meeting to discuss results of the study and pending Basin 512 rule changes was held on November 3, 2022 at the Community Center!!

Links to the Published Groundwater Study can be found below

SIR 2021- 5103: Groundwater resources of the Harney Basin, southeastern Oregon (usgs.gov)

SIR 2021-5128: Hydrologic budget of the Harney Basin groundwater system, southeastern Oregon (usgs.gov)

USGS_Harney_Fact_Sheet_final_2022_08_Fact_Sheet_2022_3052 (1)Harney_Basin_Groundwater_Study_OWRD_factsheet_2022NOV06 (1)

Division 512 Rules Advisory Committee meetings are scheduled for:

November 13, December 16, 2024 and January 22, 2025.  Discussion on a Critical Groundwater designation and sub-areas will continue.  Recommendations to the Oregon Water Resources Commission are scheduled for summer of 2025.

Information for these meetings can be found here:  https://www.oregon.gov/owrd/programs/policylawandrules/OARS/Pages/Division-512-Rulemaking.aspx

There are now Public Discussion groups that are being hosted by High Desert Partnership and Oregon Consensus where members of the Community and RAC members can talk about what is being discussed at 512 RAC meetings.  Input on what to include in the Groundwater Model Runs that the RAC is developing, boundaries for  Classification, SWAMPA (Serious Water Management Designation) and Critical Groundwater Designation boundaries are topics of discussion.  They will also be talking about Permissible Total Withdrawals for sub-areas, and timing of implementing those totals will be discussed!!