Oregon water rights
87,598 rights at 123,286 points of diversion in 36 counties · fetched October 8, 2026 from Oregon Water Resources Department
- Surface water
- 43,240
- Groundwater
- 19,068
- Storage
- 15,766
- Spring
- 9,524
Oregon at a glance
- Doctrine
- Prior appropriation
- Water Code adopted
- February 24, 1909
- Exempt domestic groundwater
- Up to 15,000 gallons a day (ORS 537.545)
- Forfeiture
- Five successive years of nonuse creates a rebuttable presumption
- Seller's duty
- Tell the buyer in writing about the water right documents (ORS 537.330)
Counties
Counties come from where each right's first point of diversion falls on Census county lines.
- Baker3,447
- Benton1,739
- Clackamas4,448
- Clatsop550
- Columbia709
- Coos2,827
- Crook1,283
- Curry1,290
- Deschutes899
- Douglas6,351
- Gilliam271
- Grant3,012
- Harney3,726
- Hood River600
- Jackson5,331
- Jefferson596
- Josephine3,724
- Klamath2,693
- Lake2,952
- Lane4,650
- Lincoln1,209
- Linn3,102
- Malheur3,183
- Marion5,984
- Morrow1,067
- Multnomah931
- Polk2,376
- Sherman170
- Tillamook1,353
- Umatilla4,471
- Union2,155
- Wallowa1,664
- Wasco1,552
- Washington3,415
- Wheeler846
- Yamhill3,022
Oldest priority dates in Oregon
Seniority is weighed among rights on the same stream system, so this is where the oldest records are rather than a statewide ranking.
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149265Upper Klamath Lake · Multiple Instream UsesU.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149266Klamath Marsh · Aquatic Life (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149268Williamson River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)The Klamath Tribes · 1,440.0 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149269Williamson River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)The Klamath Tribes · 1,430.0 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149270Williamson River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 578 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149271Williamson River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)The Klamath Tribes · 376 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149272Williamson River · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 357 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149274Williamson River · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 108 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149275Williamson River · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 59 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149276Williamson River · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 35 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149277Larkin Creek · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream), Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 13 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149278Sand Creek · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 42 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149279Scott Creek · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 25 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149280Jackson Creek · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 22 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149281Irving Creek · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 2 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149282Deep Creek · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 10 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149283Spring Creek · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 303 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149284Sprague River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 871.0 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149285Sprague River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 871.0 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149286Sprague River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 891.0 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149287Sprague River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 832 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149288Sprague River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 818.0 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149289Sprague River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 455.0 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149290Sprague River · Multiple Instream Uses, Anadromous and Resident Fish Habitat (Instream), Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 444.0 cfs · Klamath County
- Dec 31, 1800Record 149291Trout Creek · Multiple Instream Uses, Riparian Habitat (Instream)U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · 8.3 cfs · Klamath County
Priority date · senior to junior
- Before 1880
- 1880–1899
- 1900–1919
- 1920–1949
- 1950–1972
- 1973–1999
- 2000 and later
- No priority date