Overview
East Valley Water District covers over 77,000 cropland acres in Clackamas and Marion Counties--36,000 of which are recognized by the Farm Service Agency. Currently, District membership is being served by a combination of individual farm wells and direct withdrawals from local surface waters.
The District's service area lies within two Groundwater Limited Areas (GLA), Mt. Angel and Gladtidings, that limit the availability of groundwater supply. The surface water supply for the District's area is fully appropriated and very limited during the period of irrigation use. Limited groundwater and surface water supplies make the development of a supplemental water source for the District imperative. The additional water supply will support The District today and into the far future.
The overarching goal of the Drift Creek Water Supply Development Project is to secure a stable water supply for the District for the purpose of supporting local agricultural interests, small town economies, mitigate receding groundwater conditions, relieve over-appropriated surface water sources, benefit fish habitat, and reduce flooding risk. The goal of this phase of the project is to perform and complete the necessary feasibility studies and field investigations to determine if the Drift Creek site is the most suitable alternative available to the District for an alternate water supply.
Currently, the District is served through a patchwork of time-limited permits and temporary water right transfers. The limited surface water supply compounded by the District’s service area lying within two Groundwater Limited Areas makes development of an alternate source of water imperative.