Dear WaterWatch Supporter,

In 2019 we contacted you about a bad bill (HB 2437) that posed a major threat to Oregon’s ecologically important intermittent streams and wetlands. Proponents of the bill touted this as a ditch cleaning bill, but it was not limited to drainage ditches. To the contrary, the bill allowed removal of up to 3,000 cubic yards of materials (roughly 300 hundred dump trucks worth) from intermittent and even perineal streams, and of great concern, allowed the placement of this material on native wetlands for up to a year. 

Despite opposition by 24 conservation groups, this bad bill made it into law largely because of inaccurate statements made by select legislators as to the scope and effect of the bill. Among other things, legislators who carried the bill incorrectly declared in House Floor speeches, hearings and to their colleagues that this law would not allow the placement of sediment on undisturbed or native wetlands. This assertion was contrary to the plain language of the bill.

UPDATE: The Department of Agriculture has released draft rules for public comment. While the rules address some of the concerns we have with this new law, in the end the major failing of the rules is that they still allow the placement of up to 3,000 cubic yards on native wetlands for up to a year.  

WaterWatch served on a broad based rules advisory group that helped shape the new rules. Agricultural interests in that group were firm that their intent in drafting the bill was in fact to protect undisturbed and/or native and/or natural wetlands when maintaining agricultural channels. But despite these statements of intent, the Department of Agriculture still failed to include language in the rules that would ensure this.

ACTION NEEDED!

Please submit comments today to urge the Department of Agriculture to narrow the scope of the rules so that native and/or undisturbed wetlands are fully protected.

Specifically, please ask the Department to make clear in the rules that material removed from streams or ditches as part of “channel maintenance” activities cannot be placed in undisturbed or native wetlands at any time, even temporarily.

This will bring the rules in line with statements made by lawmakers and agricultural interests that this new law was never intended to allow destruction of native or undisturbed wetlands.

You can read the full rules here.

Please submit comments to Michael Powers via email TODAY at: mpowers@oda.state.or.us

Please use "Comments, HB 2437 Rulemaking" as your subject line in the email

ALL COMMENTS ARE DUE JULY 30^th by 5:00pm PDT

Why are wetlands so important? Here are some fast facts about the critical ecosystem services that wetlands provide!

1. Wetlands serve to absorb and temporarily store stormwater flows. This protects communities and streams from flooding.
2. Wetlands improve water quality in our streams by removing chemicals, heavy metals and other pollutants from water.
3. Wetlands provide essential water, food, cover and reproductive areas for many fish and wildlife species, including threatened and endangered species.
4. Wetlands provide important aesthetic, recreation and educational opportunities for Oregonians
5. The recently released United Nations Biodiversity Report found that over one million species are threatened with extinction, in part because 85% of the world’s wetlands have been lost to human development and 75% of the world’s freshwater resources are impacted by agriculture.