ORS 536.238 Policy on water storage facilities

The Legislative Assembly finds and declares that:

The water resources of the state are critical to the economic and recreational well-being of the people of Oregon.

The future vitality of the state’s economy depends on immediate planning to insure future availability of water resources.

Measures to insure adequate water resources to meet the needs of future generations of Oregonians must be pursued.

The potential for a future shortage of water poses serious risks to public health, safety and welfare and therefore is a matter of statewide concern.

Therefore, the Legislative Assembly, in addressing the problem of how to insure adequate water resources for in-stream and out-of-stream uses in the future, declares that it is a high priority of the state to both:

Develop environmentally acceptable and financially feasible multipurpose water storage facilities; and

Enhance watershed storage capacity through natural processes using nonstructural means.