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Take Action on Illegal Water Use in Oregon

Take Action on Illegal Water Use in Oregon

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Tell Legislators to Take a Stand Against Illegal Water Use

URGENT: House vote is scheduled for TUESDAY, APRIL 11!

We know how much you love Oregon’s salmon streams. And many of you have asked what you can do during the 2023 Legislative Session to help keep our rivers flowing cold and deep. 

Here’s a chance to speak up for House Bill 2929: a commonsense bill that will help stop the brazen theft of Oregon’s water from the fish, farms, and families that depend on it.

House Bill 2929 would authorize the Oregon Water Resources Department to seek a court injunction against the worst cases of illegal water uses that cause irreparable harm to water supplies or public health and safety. This fundamental tool already exists for violations related to dam safety and well construction. But injunctions are unavailable to remedy egregious water use violations—like digging and filling an unauthorized reservoir, or drying up a salmon stream to irrigate with no water right. In these cases, Water Resources Department staff must follow a lengthy administrative enforcement process that can drag on for months. In the meantime, the fish and farms that rely on that water for their survival are left high and dry.

When it comes to water, fish and farms can’t wait.

Ask Oregon Representatives to support HB 2929 TODAY!

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