Title 45, Water Resources: Irrigation, Drainage, Flood Control, Reclamation

As used in ORS 549.020 and 549.030, unless a different meaning appears from the context: (1) “Federal agency” includes the United States, the President of the United States, and any agency or instrumentality of the United States which is designated, granted or authorized to engag…

Any county may make contracts with any federal agency containing such terms, provisions and conditions as, in the discretion of the board of commissioners, may be necessary, proper or advisable for the purpose of meeting the conditions necessary in the construction of flood contr…

If two or more counties in the state desire jointly or severally to make any agreement with federal agencies relative to flood control, they may enter into such agreements with any agency named in ORS 549.010 in accordance with all the provisions stated in ORS 549.010 and 549.020…

(1) When any person owns land which requires draining, or any incorporated city in which there is any ditch, standing water or surplus water requiring draining has no means of draining such ditch, standing water or surplus water, and objection is made by the owners of adjacent la…

Thereupon the court shall appoint three disinterested householders of the county as a commission and shall issue an order directing them to meet on a day named in the order, after subscribing to an oath or affirmation to faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of their ap…

In the absence of an officer authorized to administer oaths, the commissioners may administer the oath to each other.

The commissioners shall proceed to locate and mark out the route of the ditch so as to do the least damage to the lands the ditch passes through, or to designate the location, character and extent of the work to be done in straightening the bed or building up the banks of the str…

In assessing damages, the commissioners shall take into consideration all benefits which will accrue to the lands from the work contemplated.

The commissioners, or a majority of them, shall make a report to the county court at the next regular session thereof, stating the location of the ditch or other work contemplated, the name of the person entitled to damage, and the amount, if any is assessed. If the county court …

Any person aggrieved by the assessment of damages may appeal within 20 days to the circuit court.

No person shall tap or bring additional water into any drainage district or drainage district ditch already dug without paying a reasonable compensation therefor and securing the written permission of district officials. The criminal penalty for violation of this section shall no…

ORS 549.110 to 549.180 shall not be construed so as to interfere with the rights of companies or individuals for mining, manufacturing, or watering towns or cities. IMPROVEMENT OF WATERCOURSES OR DRAINS WEST OF CASCADES

ORS 549.320 to 549.400 shall not be construed to interfere with or to prevent the right or power to construct drainage ditches under any other statute of this state, and shall apply only to that portion of the state lying west of the Cascade Mountains.

Whenever 60 percent or more of the owners of land contiguous to and crossed by some watercourse or drain desire to have such lands drained or such natural course or drain straightened, altered, widened or deepened, they may petition the county court of the county in which the lan…

The county court shall direct the county surveyor, or county engineer if the county employs a registered professional engineer, to make a survey of the work contemplated to be done and prepare plats, plans, profiles and estimates of cost of the work to be done, and shall assess t…

If the county court authorizes the improvement, it shall be done under the direction and supervision of the county surveyor, or the county engineer, who shall set all necessary grade stakes and bench marks. The owner of any of the lands through which or on which any portion of th…

On the completion of the work by the county, the county surveyor or the county engineer shall make and file with the county clerk a report showing in detail the work done on each parcel of land separately owned, the names of the owners, and the amount of costs to each such parcel…

The drainage work may be extended across or under any highway and may also be carried under or through any railroad or tramway. The authority which maintains the highway through which the conduit crosses shall construct and maintain the same in good condition and repair, free fro…

At least one member of the county court in the fall of each year shall inspect the improvements constructed under the provisions of ORS 549.310 to 549.400, for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not they have been properly maintained and are in a good and serviceable conditio…

Whenever a county court finds it necessary, in order to carry out any of the purposes mentioned in ORS 549.310 to 549.370, to condemn, acquire or appropriate any land, property or right of any nature, it shall so declare its intention by resolution spread on the records of the co…

Any person aggrieved by any order pursuant to the provisions of ORS 549.310 to 549.400 authorizing any construction work or by the assessment of any damages, may appeal to the circuit court within 20 days from the date when the county court approved such improvement. From the jud…

No person shall throw, dump, place or allow to be thrown, dumped or placed, any rubbish, refuse or any article or thing in any ditch, lateral, canal, slough, waterway or conduit constructed, operated or maintained under the provisions of ORS 549.310 to 549.390, or befoul, pollute…

Whenever two or more contiguous tracts of land, not in a diking district, the property of separate owners, have been protected by a common dike or by separate dikes so constructed as to afford a common benefit to the lands affected thereby, or upon which the dike has been constru…

If anyone neglects to repair, rebuild or reconstruct a dike as specified in ORS 549.510, the owners of the contiguous tracts of land may complain to the county judge of the county in which the lands or some portion thereof are situated, who, after due notice, shall examine the pr…

If such dike is not repaired or rebuilt accordingly, the complainants may repair or rebuild the dike, and for that purpose may go upon the premises where the destroyed or broken dike is located, doing as little damage as possible thereto, and may recover the value or cost of rebu…

The provisions of ORS 549.510 to 549.530 shall not apply to dikes constructed under agreement between the owners of contiguous tracts of land, under which agreement the maintenance of the dike is provided for. FEDERAL FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS

As used in ORS 549.605 to 549.645, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “Commission” means the Water Resources Commission. (2) “Federal flood control projects” includes all authorized federal projects located wholly or partially within this state which the commission determ…

The Water Resources Commission is directed to carry out, for and on behalf of the state, the state’s participation in federal flood control projects. In discharging this responsibility, the commission, or one or more of its members or employees designated by the commission to rep…

The Water Resources Commission and its agents and employees may enter upon lands to gather information when necessary for the performance of those duties imposed upon them by ORS 549.605 to 549.645. [1957 c.466 §3]

The Water Resources Commission may acquire property, as defined in ORS 35.550 (1), by purchase, donation or condemnation in the manner provided in ORS 35.550 to 35.575, when necessary to carry out the duties assigned it by ORS 549.610. [1957 c.466 §4]

As to any property acquired pursuant to ORS 549.605 to 549.645, the Water Resources Commission may sell, donate, exchange or lease it or grant easements thereon, on terms which are beneficial to the state and meet all federal flood control project requirements; and the commission…

After the completion of a flood control project or a portion thereof and, in the case of projects constructed by the federal government, after such project or a useful portion thereof has been turned over to the state by the federal government, such projects may be operated and m…

The Water Resources Commission may enter into agreements with the federal government, public and quasi-public bodies, including but not limited to drainage and irrigation districts organized under the laws of Oregon, water control districts and subdistricts formed under ORS chapt…

Except as provided in ORS 536.500, all moneys received by the Water Resources Commission under the provisions of ORS 549.605 to 549.645, including any allotment of moneys from the federal government to reimburse the state for expenditures made in connection with a flood control p…

Except upon contracts providing for arbitration under the provisions of ORS 36.600 to 36.740, a suit or action may be maintained against the State of Oregon through and in the name of the Water Resources Commission for an injury to the rights of the plaintiff arising from some ac…

In any county having a population in excess of 50,000, according to the latest federal decennial census, the county court or board of county commissioners may: (1) Carry out surveys and plan and engage in projects relating to water conservation and flood control. (2) Contract and…

When removing or destroying drifts or drifting material in rivers or streams or on land that has been flooded the county shall: (1) Have the right to enter upon any land for purposes of inspection, removal and destruction of drifts and drifting material. (2) Give reasonable notic…

The county court of each county may include in its budget and appropriate out of moneys in the general fund of the county not otherwise appropriated, an amount for the purposes of ORS 549.710 to 549.730. Out of the amount so appropriated the county court may set aside an amount, …

(1) Subject to ORS 153.022, violation of ORS 549.180 is a Class D violation, and the violator shall be compelled to restore the drainage to the condition previously existing. (2) Violation of ORS 549.400 is a Class C misdemeanor. [Amended by 1999 c.1051 §197; 2011 c.597 §230] ___…