Interagency team; development of action plan. (1) After a ground water quality management area is declared, the Governor shall establish an interagency team and designate a lead agency responsible for developing an action plan, as provided in this section. If the affected area had previously been designated a ground water quality concern area, the Governor may establish the same interagency team and designate the same lead agency designated under ORS 468B.177 (1) to (7). If no lead agency and interagency team has been previously designated and established, the Governor, in designating a lead agency, shall consider the primary contaminant of concern and its predominant sources, and the respective expertise, statutory responsibilities and regulatory authority of each relevant agency. The interagency team shall include the Department of Environmental Quality, the Oregon Health Authority and the Water Resources Department. The interagency team may include the State Department of Agriculture and the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries or other agencies with responsibilities or authorities related to a contaminant of concern

(2) The lead agency and other agencies participating in the interagency team shall enter into intergovernmental agreements as necessary to carry out the work of the interagency team.

(3) The interagency team shall develop an action plan to inform well users of ground water contamination, reduce existing contamination and prevent further contamination of the affected ground water aquifer. The action plan shall include, but need not be limited to:

(a) Identification of practices that may be contributing to the contamination of ground water in the area;

(b) Consideration of all reasonable alternatives for reducing the contamination of the ground water to a level below that level requiring the declaration of a ground water quality management area;

(c) Identification of mandatory actions, including actions under ORS 448.269, 454.650, 468B.189 and 537.617, that, when implemented, will reduce the contamination to a level below that level requiring the declaration of ground water quality management area or a ground water quality concern area;

(d) A proposed time schedule for:

(A) Implementing the action plan;

(B) Achieving estimated reductions in concentrations of contaminants of concern, including periodic benchmarks for measuring progress toward estimated reductions; and

(C) Public review of the action plan;

(e) Any applicable provisions of a local voluntary implementation plan developed for the area under a declaration of a ground water quality concern area;

(f) Required amendments of affected city or county comprehensive plans and land use regulations in accordance with the schedule and requirements of periodic review set forth in ORS chapters 197 and 197A to address the identified ground water quality protection and management concerns;

(g) Any actions included in the agency assessment and outreach plan developed under ORS 468B.177 (1) to (7), if applicable; and

(h) Existing authorities, programs or actions of the agencies in the interagency team that are relevant to a contaminant of concern, those authorities, programs or actions that are reasonably appropriate for implementation and a rationale for selecting the reasonably appropriate authorities, programs or actions. [Formerly 536.157; 2025 c.605 §11]

Note: See note under 468B.150.