Other Mitigation Projects

• Time-Limited Instream Transfers:  Mitigation Banks are the only entity that may establish, hold, and convey mitigation credits based on time-limited instream transfers. Currently, the Deschutes River Conservancy Mitigation Bank is the only mitigation bank authorized to establish and convey mitigation credits based on time-limited instream transfers.
  
• Allocations of Conserved Water:  For more information about the allocation of conserved water application process, please see the Department’s Allocation of Conserved Water web page.
  
• Aquifer Recharge:  This type of project involves two permit applications.  One permit application to establish the aquifer recharge project (storage of surface water in a groundwater reservoir). And another permit application to appropriate water from the aquifer recharge project for release to instream use for flow augmentation purposes.
  
• Releases of Stored Water from an existing reservoir:  This type of project involves either obtaining a new permit (referred to as a secondary right) for release of stored water from an existing reservoir for flow augmentation purposes or transferring an existing secondary right from an out of stream use to an instream use for flow augmentation purposes.

If proposed as mitigation, the Department will evaluate each project to determine whether the proposed project results in mitigation water/credits and within which zone of impact any resulting mitigation water/credits may be used.  For each of the above types of potential mitigation projects, with the exception of the time-limited instream transfer, the Department awards mitigation water/credits when it’s determined by the Department that the project is complete.  This would be described in any Final Order issued approving a mitigation project.

For more information about these types of mitigation projects and their application processes, please visit the Departments Instream Page.