Commission awards nearly $2.5 million for water projects - $661k for Chiloquin

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SALEM, Ore. – At its November 2019 meeting, the Oregon Water Resources Commission awarded $2,471,120 in grants to four projects for the 2019 cycle of Water Project Grants and Loans. The funding awards were made based on the public benefits the projects would achieve as described in the project applications.

The following projects were awarded funding:

  • Upper Phillips Fish Passage and Irrigation Efficiency Project (Jackson County) received a $983,290 award to pipe irrigation ditches to improve irrigation efficiency, restore fish passage with a bypass channel and fish screen, and to protect the conserved water instream.

  • Calapooya Creek Conservation Project (Douglas County) was awarded $155,106 to convert to water efficient drip lines, allowing a switch to a higher value agricultural crop and protection of the conserved water instream. • Mosier Deep Water Supply Well #2 (Wasco County) received a $671,724 award to complete construction of a deep well that will reduce demands on the shallow aquifer, protecting it for other users.

  • City of Chiloquin New Well and Meter Replacement Project (Klamath County) received a $661,000 award to relocate the City of Chiloquin’s water supply well and install new water meters to reduce waste.

“Natural and built infrastructure are important tools for meeting Oregon’s instream and out-of-stream water needs. We are excited about the benefits that investment in these projects will achieve,” said Tom Byler, Oregon Water Resources Department Director.

Water Projects Grants and Loans provides funding for projects that meet instream and out-of-stream water supply needs and produce economic, environmental, and social/cultural benefits. Funding for projects is awarded annually, with applications due each spring. Eligible water projects include but are not limited to: conservation, reuse, storage, streamflow protection and restoration, and water infrastructure.

About Oregon Water Resources Department
The Oregon Water Resources Department is the state agency charged with allocating and distributing water in Oregon. The Department’s Water Resources Development Program helps Oregonians address instream and out-of-stream water supply needs now and into the future.

The Program includes funding opportunities and other resources through three program components: Place-Based Planning Grants, Feasibility Study Grants, and Water Project Grants and Loans. The Oregon Water Resources Commission is a seven-member citizen body that sets state water policy and oversees activities of the Water Resources Department, including the award of grants.

For more information, please visit www.oregon.gov/owrd.

Press release provided by the Oregon Water Resources Department.