Watermaster

The District 4 Watermaster's Office serves the Upper John Day Basin including the upper main stem of the John Day River to Kimberly, Oregon as well as the North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork of the John Day River and tributaries.

The office is located in the basement of the Grant County Courthouse.

water regulation

To view current regulation activities in District 4 please visit this link.

This link is updated real time as changes are made to the priority regulation of various streams and rivers in the basin.

Water Measurement

Water measurements are generally described using rate and volume. When applying for a permit to use water, an applicant is required to submit all measurements in one of the following terms:

• When referring to a rate to be diverted, the terms commonly used are cubic feet per second (cfs) or gallons per minute (gpm).
• When discussing volumes of water, such as amount applied to land, reservoir storage capacity, or yearly consumption, the term used is acrefeet (af). 

Applications for Water Use

Applications for water use specify the appropriate measurement to use when providing information to the Department.

Water Rights Handbook

See the Water Rights in Oregon Handbook (PDF) for a complete introduction to Oregon's water code and appropriation laws.