2024 Charges

Deschutes Water Rights:

• Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
• Construction (Const)
• Safety of Dams* (SOD)
• Legal Fund

Crooked River Rights:

• Operations and Maintenance
• Construction
• Legal Fund

*Safety of Dams Account Fee if own 10 acres or less

Excess per acre foot charge for water delivered over the minimum: Deschutes (DE) 2.00 acre feet – Crooked River (CR) 1.00 acre foot

Excess

At the end of the water season, usage over your minimum is calculated and bills for excess water are sent towards the end of October or the first week in November. This charge is required under the District’s contract with the Bureau of Reclamation.

Operation & Maintenance Charge (O&M)

This charge is for the operation & maintenance of the district and when paid allows a minimum of 2.0 acre feet of water per acre on Deschutes water rights and 1.0 acre foot per acre on Crooked River water rights, if available. This charge varies yearly based on the budget adopted by the District’s board of directors.

Account Charge

The District implemented a yearly account charge starting with the 2005 water year. This charge covers administrative costs incurred by the district, which the board feels should be shared equally amongst landowners.

Legal Fund

This charge was established in 2004 to cover legal and environmental costs associated with Crooked River water right acres and the District’s contract with the Bureau of Reclamation.

Construction

This charge is a repayment to the Bureau of Reclamation for the construction of the project. The District obtained a legislative amendment to our contract with the Bureau, which is effective starting the 2009 water season. Deschutes water right acres were previously subject to this charge, with the change Crooked River water right acres are now also subject to this charge.

Safety of Dams

The Bureau of Reclamation completed Safety of Dams modifications on Wickiup Dam and the District is required to pay 15% of the total cost. The estimated cost to the District is $5,766,972 and the District has a 30-year repayment contract with the Bureau. The repayment had been 50 cents per acre for the first 15 years with an additional account charge of $15.18 per account for any landowner with 10 acres or less of water rights. Starting 2019, the charges have increased to $6.00 per acre. This bill is also sent in March and is based on Deschutes water right acres.

Water Allotment Adjustments