SOLUTIONS
Improving Streamflow - The Tools We UseOregon Water Trust provides innovative solutions to fishery conservation, using existing water laws, a market-based approach and collaborative efforts with farmers, ranchers, and others who own water rights. Our primary means of restoring streamflow is by compensating willing landowners to leave all or a portion of their water right instream in lieu of using it for out-of-stream purposes. We also receive donations of water rights. These agreements can range from short-term to permanent transactions. Oregon Water Trust specializes in drafting creative agreements that benefit the stream and the water right holder. OWT looks for solutions where water can be used in a different manner such that land is kept productive. In many situations these methods may be applied to an entire water right, or a portion of the water right. Some ways to do this include: | Modified land Management
Irrigators switch to crops that use less water, rotate crops or let pieces of less productive land go fallow, while leasing or selling the water rights for instream use. 
| Water conservation projects
Irrigators can install a more efficient irrigation system and transfer some or all of the conserved water to instream use, while increasing the productivity of their land. 
| Split season leasing
Irrigators use water during the first half of the season, then water rights are leased instream during the second, drier half of the season. 
| Source switching
An irrigator’s water source is switched from surface water to another source, usually groundwater or stored water and the surface water right is transferred or leased to instream use. 
| Point of diversion change
Irrigators withdraw water from a different location, which helps provide more water to the driest stretches of a stream. Generally this is done with a switch from flood to pressurized irrigation. 
| Rotational pooling agreements
Irrigators coordinate with neighbors and take turns leasing water rights. In general, this method works best on a shared ditch system. 
| Toolbox Brochure 
Click the Adobe PDF icon to view our brochure. | | | Thanks to
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
for funding the creation of our Toolbox Brochure and the preceding illustrations. |
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522 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 825
Portland, OR 97204
Phone: (503) 226-9055 - Fax: (503) 226-3480 Oregon Water Trust is an Oregon 501(c)(3) nonprofit group.
All financial and permanent water right donations are charitable contributions.
All content and photographs are protected with US Copyright 2006.
"Water" image (top of page) Courtesy Dan Callaghan. |
