This post is one of a series highlighting the ways in which water users have adapted to life in the time of COVID-19.

In some painful ways the COVID-19 pandemic has stripped us of our ability to celebrate with those we love. Arielle Zamora of Small Yard Flowers in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, OR has seen this unfortunate trend firsthand.

“The wedding industry is totally turned upside down and looks nothing like it used to,” Zamora said. “Other florists and myself have lost a majority of our 2020 wedding clients. 2021 is up in the air as well. There are less florists buying wholesale flowers from farmers, so overall there has been a huge decline in the industry.”

A staple of celebrations, the floral industry provides a service typically used in large scale gatherings of the type banned in many states since the pandemic began earlier this year. As a small business using drip irrigation to cultivate locally grown and organic flowers, this has been especially tough on Small Yard Flowers. Zamora has remained positive, however, and has had to get inventive to keep her business afloat.

“I’ve made direct connections with other florists who have shops,” Zamora said. “I am providing weekly deliveries so I’m able to supply them with flowers. Additionally I’ve opened my own web store for people to order flower deliveries directly from me and my farm: https://www.smallyardflowers.com/.”

The need for joyful celebration remains constant, even in this COVID-19 era, and we are grateful for businesses like Zamora who are still producing and creating in the midst of the pandemic. Though times have been tough, Zamora is looking forward to the future. “I am looking forward to when normal sized weddings can take place and there will be the high demand for quality flowers again,” Zamora said. “I’m also looking forward to reconnecting with friends and professionals in my industry.”

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Every year the Oregon Water Resources Department (“OWRD”) allows 15 districts to change their place of use without going through a long Transfer Application process. This process, called the Irrigation District Pilot Project, allows one transfer application for every irrigation season. The Project started in 2003 and the Oregon State Legislature has extended it several times. Currently is set to sunset or end on January 2, 2022, and the most recent extension was in 2015 through the SB 267 bill. 

Through this program irrigation districts are able to change their place of use within their legal boundary only. A simple process for providing transfers in place of use can allow irrigation districts to better serve their users based on the best availability. 

Below is a list of the Districts who are a part of the Pilot Project for this 2020 season: 

1. Owyhee Irrigation District
2. Tualatin Valley Irrigation District
3. West Extension Irrigation District
4. Westland Irrigation District
5. Stanfield Irrigation District
6. Hermiston Irrigation District
7. Talent Irrigation District
8. Rogue River Valley Irrigation District
9. Arnold Irrigation District
10. Central Oregon Irrigation District
11. North Unit Irrigation District
12. Ochoco Irrigation District
13. Sutherlin Water Control District

If any Districts is unable or does not need to participate in the program, another District may take their place. Districts are identified by OWRD, who then post their information and Watermaster contact information in their public notice, per SB 267 requirement. For more information on types of Water Right Transfer Applications available to irrigation districts visit OWRD’s website regarding district transfers. 

To learn more about all things water browse our Schroeder Law Offices blog! 

Schroeder Law Offices does everything water, including educating others on the basics of water law, resource planning and water rights.

Recently at an educational one day “Boot Camp,” attorney Laura Schroeder covered an expansive list of water related topics for registrants from the Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District. The class was tailored specifically to the audience’s questions and each attendee walked away with a gift certificate for a personal, free hour of consultation on water rights from Schroeder Law Offices, as well as wealth of new information.

Upcoming Water Rights Boot camps include this week with the Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District on Thursday, November 21^st. A link to the event can be found here. 

Unable to attend this event but wanting to know more? Click here to learn about the presentation topics our office provides and how you can schedule and public or private presentation with one of our attorneys.

On June 10, 2017, Laura Schroeder attended and gave a presentation at Christ the Vine Lutheran Church in Damascus, Oregon on the topic of estate planning. Individuals and couples attended the event and learned more about how to plan for caring for their loved ones after their passing and the ins and outs of this preparation. The audience of around 30 people were engaged and asked many questions, making the presentation a fun and interactive way to learn. Schroeder Law Offices was very grateful for the opportunity to present to this faith community.

Our office does limited work with estate planning in conjunction with Laura’s service to her Lutheran faith community and can prepare these documents for individuals who wish to make a donation to their faith community or faith based organization such as Lutheran Community Services. Basic documents our office can prepare include Wills including trusts and codicils, Power of Attorney documents, advice on Advanced Directives and more. For more information on what these documents are or how our office can assist you with preparing them, please visit the Estate Planning section of our website.

As the 2017 irrigation season approaches, Oregon water permit and certificate holders may want to review the terms of those permitted and certificated uses for measurement and reporting requirements.

Many groundwater permits and certificates require annual reporting of various water measurements, most notably measurements for static water levels of wells, flow meter readings or perhaps critical ground water area measurements depending on where these uses are located.

Measurements are typically due annually but sometimes are required to be tracked monthly and submitted to the Oregon Water Resources Department. These recordings allow the Department to track changes in water levels and depending on varying levels between the years may allow the Department to require users to discontinue or reduce the rate of their water use.

Our office encourages all water users to closely review the terms of their water permits and certificates in order to understand and be responsible for the requirements and meet the terms of these rights of use. We also provide services to clients including review of water permits, certificates and related documents, refer to qualified individuals to take these recording measurements and courtesy reminder letters to our clients.

For more information on water use reporting please visit the Oregon Water Resources Departments website. For more water news and information, keep reading Schroeder Law Offices blog!

Junior Partner Sarah Liljefelt was recently admitted to the Utah State Bar, making her eligible to practice law in Utah.  Liljefelt is the first attorney with Schroeder Law Offices barred in the state of Utah! In October, Shareholder Laura Schroeder will join Liljefelt in admittance to Utah State Bar.

Utah water law adheres to the Doctrine of Prior Appropriation, which is similar to other states where Schroeder Law Offices practices. Our firm is always looking for more ways to help those dealing with the nuanced and at times confusing world of water law, so expansion to the state of Utah just made sense.

Attorneys at Schroeder Law Offices are currently admitted to practice law in the states of Oregon, Nevada, Washington, California, Idaho, and Utah. With more bar admissions comes more opportunities to provide help to those in need of counsel.

Congratulations to Sarah Liljefelt and an exciting new chapter for Schroeder Law Offices!

With the recent discoveries of lead in Portland Public Schools drinking water and the September 15^th discovery at the University of Oregon, it becomes a reminder for us all to ensure that our groundwater supply is providing healthy and safe drinking water.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, 90 percent of the population of the state draws all or part of their water supply from groundwater, which amounts to about one billion gallons of groundwater every day. Approximately 23 percent of Oregonians use domestic or private wells as their main source of water. For these well owners it is especially important to watch out for common types of contamination that might affect their water supply. These types of contamination include:

1. Improper storage or disposal of hazardous substances
2. Improper use of fertilizers, animal manures, herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides
3. Chemical spills
4. Improperly built and/or maintained septic systems
5. Improperly abandoned wells (these include water wells, groundwater monitoring wells, and wells used in cleaning contaminated groundwater)
6. Poorly sited or constructed water wells

The Portland Water Bureau is currently working to finish a study looking at the issues of lead in Portland’s drinking water, but major changes won’t be possible until 2022. Private well owners can begin taking steps to protect their groundwater today by being more mindful of how they care for their wells and dispose of hazardous materials.

More information on how to keep your well clean and safe can be found by visiting the National Groundwater Association website.

Sources Consulted:

http://www.opb.org/news/series/lead/portland-corrosive-water-study-epa-timeline/

http://www.ngwa.org/Events-Education/groundwater-day/Pages/default.aspx

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OR_UO_LEAD_OROL-?SITE=ORLAG&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://www.ngwa.org/Events-Education/groundwater-day/Pages/default.aspx

The Oregon Water Resources Commission recently awarded nine water supply project proposals in the state of Oregon with a combined $8.9 million for projects focusing mainly on water conservation.

The Commission received funding in the amount of $14 million from the state to implement large-scale water conservation plans across the state. Although urged to fund as many projects as possible with the money, the Commission awarded grants to the nine Oregon Water Resources Department recommended projects.

Oregon is doing its part to conserve water on a large-scale.