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State water resources manager briefs commissioners on measurement, Butter Creek and ARPA-supported gauges
Summary
A regional manager from the Oregon Water Resources Department updated the board on water-rights support, Butter Creek management, ARPA-funded measurement installations, Willow Creek coordination with the Army Corps and groundwater management coordination in Morrow County.
Chris Kits, North Central Region Manager for the Oregon Water Resources Department, briefed the Morrow County Board of Commissioners on the department—s work in the county and the contract-supported assistant water master position funded in part by the county.
Kits described the department—s day-to-day roles—data collection and analysis, dam safety, water-rights processing and a grant program that reimburses irrigators for up to 75% of measurement-device costs. He described the Butter Creek Management Plan, a rotating-use approach active for more than 30 years, and said ARPA dollars have helped expand field measurement, reducing staff travel to manually read ditches and providing irrigators more timely data.
Kits also summarized work in district 21 around Willow Creek, where the department coordinates reservoir releases with the Army Corps to meet irrigator needs and tracks individual irrigator "bank accounts" of stored water. He noted ongoing groundwater management-area work, the department—s participation in local planning reviews, and recent legislation (SB 1153) that provides more flexibility for community water systems.
Commissioners thanked Kits for the overview and asked about district boundaries and numbering changes; Kits explained historical reorganizations and staff allocations. The board received the report with no formal action requested.
