Siletz Tribe

Siletz Tribe

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City of Lincoln City - Siletz Tribe Agreement Golf Course Water

Note: The Oregon Department of Water Resources must approve the agreement.

DLWID board voted 4 to 1 in favor of the agreement at their July 1, 2010 meeting at City Hall
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July 1, 2010 - DLWID board meeting at City Hall - Handout from Lincoln City manager David Hawker

City of Lincoln City - Siletz Tribe Agreement Golf Course Water

The agreement between the City and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz would provide 0.5 cubic feet per second of the City's existing senior certificated municipal water right in Rock Creek for irrigation of the golf course. Implementation is subject to the Oregon Department of Water Resources approving an additional point of diversion downstream in Devils Lake for withdrawal of this water.

1. Lincoln City holds certificated municipal water rights in Rock Creek:

0.20 cfs Certificate No 14366 - March 28, 1933
0.73 cfs Certificate No 37438 - September 8, 1965
1.5 cfs Certificate No 21779 - (.75 cfs April 22, 1947,.75 cfs July 18, 1949)

The average flow from Rock Creek upstream at the dam during August is 3.3 CFS. During September it is 3.14 CFS. There are several tributaries down stream of the dam that should add to that flow.

The City also holds a certificated right to Nine Springs (Neotsu Creek) for 0.5 cfs. This stream is also tributary to Devils Lake. The Tribe currently has an application pending with Oregon Water Resources Department for a water right on this stream that would be junior to the City's right. This application would be withdrawn when Water Resources approves the additional point of diversion for Rock Creek.

2. Lincoln City has a right to withdraw this water directly from the existing point of diversion on Rock Creek. Lincoln City presently has sufficient water rights in Schooner Creek and Drift Creek so that it currently does not need to use the Rock Creek right. Depending on growth and weather, the City may have sufficient water for the next 20 years. At or about that time, we will need this water or will need to acquire another water source. Since the City is already providing treated water for use at the golf course, this agreement would reduce the demand on the City system, thereby extending the time during which we do not need to use Rock Creek or obtain another water source.

The most viable alternative to Rock Creek for an additional water supply at this time appears to be Rocky Creek, which would require a minimum investment of about $150,000,000. Voter approval of both the Cities of Lincoln and Newport would be required to finance this project. Those that receive city water should favor measures that reduce the demand on the system to avoid or delay enormous expenditures that are paid by the users. Non-resident users of Lincoln City water should realize that if the supply runs short, they are at risk of discontinued service.

3. Today, the City has the right to provide water to the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz from Rock Creek Water, though this would require the construction of an expensive pipeline. In the agreement between the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz and the City, a maximum of 0.50 CFS would be withdrawn from a point of diversion downstream from the authorized point of diversion, and on Devils Lake.

4. During the time of the agreement which is an initial term of 15 years and an optional additional 15 years, the City cannot use this water, and it must go into the lake.

5. This agreement satisfies the irrigation needs of the golf course, and therefore the Tribe would not pursue the pending application for a water right on Neotsu Creek (also tributary to Devils Lake).

6. It does not now appear that diverting Rock Creek water from the lake would impact the level of the lake. It is my understanding that the Water Master indicated that the 0.5 CFS would be deducted from the inflow. However, should Salem have a different take on this issue, the effect would still be quite small. Based on the last three years, the golf course has used about one million cubic feet of water during August and September, or a total of twenty-three acre feet. If this is counted in the DLWID "inflow-outflow" equation the impact on the lake based on an area of 671 acres is .41 inches. Assuming the golf course expands in the future and uses 50% more water than today, the impact could be as much as 0.62 inches, or about 5/8".

7. The lake contains nutrient beneficial to turf, and should reduce the amount of fertilizer that needs to be applied to the golf course. This in turn will reduce the amount of fertilizer running off the golf course into the lake.

8. The use of Rock Creek water from the Lake rather than the stream will guarantee that mount stays in the stream, and helps sustain the important Coho salmon. Presently Rock Creek flows fairly directly into the D River. Diverting some of the flow across the lake may have a beneficial effect on water quality in the lake.

The use of this water for irrigation will reduce the demand on the City's primary source of water, Schooner Creek, and its secondary source Drift Creek. These are also salmon bearing streams. The use of Rock Creek water by the golf course will extend the City's existing water supply, and keep more water in three critical coastal streams.

9. The agreement calls for a maximum withdrawal of 0.5 cfs (or 224 gallons per minute). This will be controlled in several ways. Section five of the agreement says "As much as practicable, the final design shall be for works designed to divert a maximum of 0.5 cfs only. In addition, the design, including gauging, shall conform to all applicable OWRD requirements and the meter design must comply with the City's specifications."

10. The agreement calls for the City and Tribe to cooperate to explore the possibility of using the City's high quality wastewater effluent to irrigate the golf course in the long term.

D.A.H. July 1, 2010

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P.O. Box 36
Lincoln City, OR 97367
PADLsteward@wcn.net