Oregon Revised Statutes

Chapter 555 — Reclamation Projects; Sand Control

37 sections

555.010 Acceptance by state of conditions of Carey Act and grants thereunder

The State of Oregon hereby accepts the conditions of section 4 of the Act of Congress approved August 18, 1894 (28 Stat. 422), and amendments thereto, known as the “Carey Act,” together with all grants of land to the state under the provisions of that Act.

555.020 Water Resources Commission to manage lands; general powers; transfer of powers of former state boards

The selection, management, and disposal of the land referred to in ORS 555.010 shall be vested in the Water Resources Commission. The commission may employ necessary assistance, purchase material and supplies, and shall have charge and control of all reclamation work undertaken, contracted for, or initiated by the State Land Board prior to the passage of cha…

555.030 Duties of Water Resources Commission

The Water Resources Commission, or some authorized assistant, shall: Have custody of all the records and files under the provisions of ORS 555.010 to 555.160, which shall be public records and open to inspection by the public during office hours. Receive and file all proposals for construction of irrigation works to reclaim lands selected under the provisi…

555.040 Powers of Water Resources Commission as to contracts with Secretary of Interior for lands to be reclaimed; lien for expenses

Upon application, made as provided in ORS 555.050, by any person desiring to reclaim any of the desert government lands in this state, the Water Resources Commission shall make proper application for the lands which the applicant undertakes to reclaim, and make and enter into contract or agreement with the Secretary of the Interior for the donation and paten…

555.050 Application to Water Resources Commission for lands to be reclaimed; selection and withdrawal of lands

Any person desiring to construct ditches, canals or other irrigation works to reclaim land under the provisions of ORS 555.010 to 555.160 shall, at the expense of the person, file with the Water Resources Commission an application for selection on behalf of the state, by the commission, of the land to be reclaimed. The application shall conform to all requir…

555.060 Deposit by applicant; disposition of money

A deposit shall accompany each application in a sum not less than 10 cents per acre up to 1,000 acres, and two cents per acre for each acre over that amount, which sum shall be deposited with the Water Resources Commission and held in trust as a guarantee of good faith on the part of the applicant, to whom it shall be returned at the time of execution of a c…

555.070 Contract for reclamation of land; contents; examination and report by Water Resources Commission; sale of water right to settlers; bond of contractor; deposit to secure purchasers of water rights

Upon withdrawal of the land by the Department of the Interior, the Water Resources Commission shall enter into a contract for the reclamation of such land with the person submitting the application, which contract shall contain plans and specifications of the proposed irrigation works; provided, that no contract shall be executed by the commission until afte…

555.080 Reclamation works; control by contractor; transfer to purchasers of water rights

For such time as is specified in the contract, and not to exceed 10 years from the date thereof, the control and management of the reclamation works shall be vested in the person having contract with the state. At the expiration of such time the clear and unencumbered title to the reclamation works and all franchises thereunto belonging, also the control and…

555.090 Time for construction of works; date of commencement; securing of water rights; cessation of work as causing forfeiture; extension of time

No contract shall be made by the Water Resources Commission which requires a greater time than five years for construction of the works. All contracts shall state that the work shall begin within six months from date of contract; that the contractor shall secure for the use and benefit of the reclamation system all necessary water rights, rights of way, rese…

555.100 Nonperformance by contractor; forfeiture; notice of forfeiture; sale of incomplete works; disposal of proceeds

Upon the failure of any parties having contracts with the state for the construction of irrigation works, to begin the same within the time specified by the contract, or to complete the same within the time or in accordance with the specifications of the contract with the state, to the satisfaction of the Water Resources Commission, the commission shall give…

555.110 State’s liability

Nothing in ORS 555.010 to 555.160 shall be construed as authorizing the Water Resources Commission to obligate the state to pay for any work constructed under any contract, or to hold the state in any way responsible to settlers for the failure of contractors to complete the work according to the terms of their contracts with the state.

555.120 Conditions precedent to entry onto land and sale of water rights; form of applications for purchase or for release of lien; “date of reclamation.”

No land shall be open to entry and no water rights shall be sold by the parties under contract with the Water Resources Commission until the construction of the works is sufficiently advanced to insure a water supply, and the entry of an order by the commission opening the land or any portion thereof to entry and sale. All applications to purchase lands, or …

555.130 Application to enter; contract for purchase of water rights and release of lien; payment for land

Any citizen of the United States, or any person having declared an intention to become such, over the age of 21 years, may make application, under oath, to the Water Resources Commission, upon forms prescribed by the commission, to enter any of the lands reclaimed under the provisions of ORS 555.010 to 555.160, in an amount not to exceed 160 acres for any on…

555.140 Deeds to land; execution; form; title conveyed; record; preservation of copies; copies as evidence

Upon filing with the Water Resources Commission a satisfactory release of the construction lien apportioned by the commission against the land in any application, accompanied by satisfactory proof of reclamation, cultivation and settlement, as required by the rules of the commission, it shall be the duty of the commission to deed to the applicant, or the ass…

555.150 Rules

The Water Resources Commission shall provide suitable rules for the filing of applications for constructing irrigation works, prescribing the nature of final surveys, and the gathering of engineering data upon which the contract with the state is to be based, the manner in which the plans and specifications shall be submitted, and for the entry of and paymen…

555.160 Report of work, expenditures and condition of funds; recommendations for legislation

The Water Resources Commission shall issue, on or before September 30 of each even-numbered year, a full report of the work of the commission under the provisions of ORS 555.010 to 555.160, including a statement of expenditures and condition of all funds, and such recommendations for legislation as are deemed advisable.

555.170 Oregon Irrigation Fund

The Oregon Irrigation Fund is hereby created. Payments to and disbursements from the fund shall be made as provided by law.

555.171 Transfers from Oregon Irrigation Fund to General Fund

Notwithstanding the provisions of ORS 555.170, all moneys in the Oregon Irrigation Fund created by ORS 555.170 on February 18, 1955, and all moneys paid into such fund after February 18, 1955, are to be transferred to the General Fund to be available for general governmental expenses.

555.180 Payment for irrigation of acreage in excess of contract; notice by Water Resources Commission; price per acre

Wherever an irrigation system has been constructed under contract with the State of Oregon pursuant to the Act of Congress known as the Carey Act, and under and pursuant to ORS 555.010 to 555.160, and it develops that the acreage of land actually irrigated in any smallest legal subdivision of the land is greater than the acreage made subject to the lien in t…

555.190 Notice to be in writing; service; noncompliance; effect

The notice given by the Water Resources Commission shall be in writing and may be served by registered mail or by certified mail with return receipt. If the user of the water does not comply with the notice and either pay for the excess water or enter into a definite arrangement with the company for payment thereof within 30 days from the mailing of the noti…

555.310 Reclamation of lands in Tumalo Project; contracts for

The Water Resources Commission is authorized and empowered to contract for the completion of the reclamation of lands in the Tumalo Project or any part thereof, and to otherwise carry out the provisions of ORS 555.310 to 555.410, with any irrigation district, organized pursuant to the laws of Oregon, including lands in the project or any part thereof, or wit…

555.320 Project manager; duties and authority

The Water Resources Commission shall appoint, at a salary to be fixed by the commission, a project manager for the Tumalo Project, who shall hold office and serve at the pleasure of the commission, but not longer than two years without reappointment. In the selection of a project manager, due consideration shall be given the recommendations of the Board of D…

555.330 Rules

The Water Resources Commission shall make all necessary rules and regulations for properly carrying out the provisions of ORS 555.310 to 555.410.

555.340 Water rights; sale price; lien on lands; lien list; expenditures of state; repayment from sale of lands and rights; replacement or surrender of contracts with Columbia Southern Irrigation Company

Subject to ORS 555.350, the prices to be paid for the sale of water rights on private lands as well as Carey Act lands, in the Tumalo Project, shall be $40, with interest at five percent from the date of contract of sale, in addition to which there shall be a charge of $2.50 per acre for the nonirrigable Carey Act lands; provided, however, that no new lien s…

555.350 Increase of lien against unsold land; reduction of amount due to state

The Water Resources Commission may increase the reclamation lien against the land not now sold in the Tumalo Project as fixed in ORS 555.340, if such increase is necessary or expedient in the completion of the project. The commission may reduce the amount due the state on account of the construction of the Tumalo Project by the amount expended by any such di…

555.360 Arrangements to settle, cultivate and reclaim Carey Act lands; contract provisions; sale of water rights to private lands; rules; fees

The Water Resources Commission shall make all necessary arrangements to secure the settlement, cultivation and reclamation of Carey Act lands in the Tumalo Project; accept applications for the entry of the lands; make contracts for the purchase of water rights and release of lien for the lands; make rules for their cultivation and settlement; and prescribe t…

555.370 Cancellation of contract upon default

Upon failure of any purchaser having a contract with the Water Resources Commission to make payments of principal and interest according to the terms of the contract, the commission shall notify the purchaser by registered mail or by certified mail with return receipt of the default. If the default continues for a period of six months after the sending of su…

555.380 Tumalo Project Fund; rules

All moneys received as maintenance fees on the Tumalo Project shall be applied to the cost of maintaining, repairing, operating and distributing water for the project. The money shall be collected and disbursed by the project manager under the direction of the commission, who shall prescribe rules and regulations governing such collections or disbursements. …

555.390 Transfer of state’s interest to irrigation districts or to federal government

The Water Resources Commission may, with due regard to the interests of the state, transfer all the right, title and interest of the state in and to the Tumalo Project, and all rights or franchises thereunto appertaining, to any irrigation district or to the federal government, whenever it appears to the commission that such transfer will be in the best inte…

555.400 Preferred purchasers

In the sale of water and water rights and the entry upon lands now remaining unsold in the Tumalo Project, honorably discharged soldiers and sailors, marines, and Red Cross nurses of the Mexican, Spanish or Indian wars and of World War I shall have a preferred right to the purchase and acquiring of the same for such period of time as may be designated by the…

555.410 Repayment of appropriation from receipts of sale of lands; expenditures

The sum of $10,000, which was appropriated by section 2, chapter 424, Oregon Laws 1917, shall be considered a loan to the Tumalo Project and shall be returned to the General Fund, together with interest at the legal rate from the date on which the money is made available, from the receipts of the sale of project lands. All expenditures incurred under the pro…

555.500 Formation; purpose; general powers

Contiguous territory that is not within the corporate boundaries of a city may be formed into, or included in, a sand control district as provided by ORS 555.500 to 555.535 and provisions of ORS 198.705 to 198.955 that are not inconsistent with ORS 555.500 to 555.535. A sand control district may be created for the purpose of controlling or moving drifting s…

555.507 Board of directors; meetings; quorum

The authority of a sand control district is vested in a district board consisting of three members. Upon taking office, a board member shall take, and subscribe to, an oath of office to support the Constitution and laws of the United States and of the State of Oregon and to honestly and faithfully perform the duties imposed upon the member under the laws of …

555.514 Qualifications to serve on board; initial meeting; initial terms of board members

If a sand control district contains 100 or more electors residing within its boundaries, electors of the district are qualified to serve as board members. Otherwise, an individual who owns taxable real property within the district and is an elector registered in this state is qualified to serve as a member. Within 10 days after the creation of the district …

555.521 Finances; records

A sand control district shall deposit moneys in accordance with ORS 295.001 to 295.108 and as designated by the district board. The moneys may be withdrawn or paid out pursuant to an order of the board upon a check signed by the treasurer or by a person authorized to serve as custodian of district funds by a resolution of the board. The district board shal…

555.528 Authority to issue general obligation bonds

Upon approval of the electors of a sand control district, the district may issue general obligation bonds, as prescribed in ORS 287A.300 to 287A.380, from time to time to finance purposes and duties of the district. The district may not issue, or have outstanding at any time, general obligation bonds in a principal amount that exceeds: Five percent of the …

555.535 Application of ORS chapter 255

ORS chapter 255 governs: The nomination and election of district board members of a sand control district. The conduct of sand control district elections. The electors of the district may exercise the initiative and referendum powers for a district measure as provided in ORS 255.135 to 255.205. CHAPTERS 556 AND 557 [Reserved for expansion] _____________…