ORS 541.683: Demonstration of public benefits of project.

(1) A project that receives a loan or grant from the Water Supply Development Account must: (a) Demonstrate social or cultural benefits and economic benefits sufficient to qualify the project under the scoring and ranking system described in ORS 541.669; and (b) Except as otherwise provided in ORS 541.681, demonstrate environmental benefits: (A) By dedicating 25 percent of conserved water or newly developed water to in-stream use; or (B) By demonstrating environmental benefits that are sufficient to qualify the project under the scoring and ranking system described in ORS 541.669. (2) The description of public benefit requirements in subsection (1) of this section does not exempt any project from meeting the minimum criteria designed by the Water Resources Commission under ORS 541.677. (3) To establish that a project complies with subsection (1)(b) of this section, the loan or grant recipient may include water dedicated to in-stream use as a result of the conditions of federal, state or local permits for the project. [2013 c.784 §11]