Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Rights Klamath Basin topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee holds public hearing on temporary water transfers for Upper Klamath Basin pending court decree
Summary
The committee heard from the Water Resources Department director on House Bill 2801, which would allow temporary transfers and leases of determined water-right claims in the Upper Klamath Basin until the Klamath County Circuit Court issues a final decree; the department clarified the change is limited to temporary transfers and in-stream leases.
On April 24, 2025, the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire opened a public hearing on House Bill 2801 and heard from Ivan Gahl, director of the Water Resources Department.
Committee staff summarized the bill as authorizing the Water Resources Department to continue approving leases or temporary transfers of determined water-right claims in the Upper Klamath Basin until the Klamath County Circuit Court finalizes a water-rights decree. The bill would also require the Water Resources director to notify relevant legislative committees and legislative counsel within 30 days of the court's final decision.
Director Ivan Gahl told the committee that the statute then in place was scheduled to be repealed in January 2026 and that the Klamath Basin adjudication is an ongoing process that could take more years. He said the bill would allow flexibility for water users to pursue temporary transfers and in-stream leases of determined (but not yet certificated) claims while the adjudication proceeds; once the court issues a final decree and the department issues certificates, transfers would follow the regular process.
The committee recorded no other in-person or online public testimony on HB 2801 and closed the public hearing without taking committee action on the bill at that time.
