Oregon committee advances package of water, land‑use and wildlife measures; heated debate on exempt‑well commercial gardening cap

The House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources and Water on April 9 advanced a package of bills that change how Oregon regulates some water uses, how the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) is funded and staffed, and how certain land divisions and predator‑control districts are handled.

The committee voted to move multiple bills to the House floor or to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means after amendments. The most contested item was House Bill 3,372 (dash 5), which would allow exempt domestic wells to withdraw up to 3,000 gallons per day to irrigate up to one‑half acre of lawn, personal garden or commercial garden; that bill passed the committee after extended debate.

Why it matters: The measures touch everyday uses of groundwater, fees that pay for OWRD services, local land‑use transactions and programs that affect rural producers and small‑scale agriculture. The committee’s votes set the measures up for floor consideration and for funding decisions in Ways and Means.

House Bill 3,372 — exempt wells and small commercial gardens House Bill 3,372 as amended (dash 5) would explicitly authorize exempt domestic well users to withdraw up to 3,000 gallons per day to irrigate up to one‑half acre, and it distinguishes commercial gardens from other uses so those sellers of produce would not automatically be required to obtain a water right for that limited activity. The amendment was described by committee staff as a balance between access for small growers and protections for water resources.

Representative E. Warner Raschke (Klamath/Deschutes), who opposed unconstrained out‑of‑state transfers in a separate bill earlier in the hearing, testified about the policy context for transfers and water ownership. He quoted statute in arguing for careful review of transfers: “ORS 537.11 ... all water within the state from all sources of water supply belong to the public.”

Raquel Ranciere, deputy director at the Oregon Water Resources Department, told the committee the amendment “does not address stock watering,” clarifying that the measure was not intended to change the existing stock‑watering exemptions and that the department already has authority to require measuring devices where it suspects violations of exempt‑use limits.

Supporters said the…