Over the past couple of years, demand for water in the Harney Basin has increased while groundwater levels in the region have decreased.  Now the Oregon Water Resources Department is slated to begin rulemaking which intends to address those declining groundwater levels in the basin.

 

OWRD staff will meet with members of the public in Burns on March 7th-9th to discuss and provide direct input on the upcoming OWRD critical groundwater rulemaking for the basin.  This rulemaking is also known as the Division 512 Rulemaking.  This rulemaking continues the series of proposed actions that OWRD is planning to take over the next few years following the Harney Basin Groundwater Studythat was published by the U.S. Geological Survey in April 2022. The Division 512 rules will govern the use of groundwater in the Basin, including use within the Greater Harney Valley Groundwater Area of Concern.

 

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