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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
Enrolled
House Bill 2169
Introduced and printed pursuant to House Rule 12.00. Presession filed (at the request of House In-
terim Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water for Representatives
Ken Helm, Mark Owens)
CHAPTER .................................................
AN ACT
Relating to water reuse; and declaring an emergency.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
(1) The Legislative Assembly finds and declares that it is the policy of this
state to encourage water reuse and to expand opportunities for water reuse in this state in
a manner that protects public health and the environment.
(2) The Legislative Assembly finds and declares that it is the policy of this state that
agencies of state government, as defined in ORS 174.111, work together to encourage and
expand opportunities for water reuse by overcoming institutional and regulatory barriers and
funding constraints and improving policies and internal operations related to water reuse.
SECTION 2. (1) The Department of Environmental Quality shall establish and lead an
interagency water reuse team. The Water Resources Department, the Oregon Health Au-
thority, the State Department of Agriculture and the State Department of Fish and Wildlife
shall participate in the water reuse team. Other agencies of state government, as defined in
ORS 174.111, shall participate in the water reuse team as requested by the Department of
Environmental Quality. The Department of Environmental Quality may enter into intera-
gency agreements to support the participation of other agencies of state government in the
water reuse team.
(2) The Department of Environmental Quality, with support from the water reuse team
where appropriate, and in consultation with municipal wastewater utilities, industry
stakeholders and other interested parties, shall:
(a) Provide training and education to state agency staff, potential reuse project appli-
cants and the public on the benefits and drivers of water reuse projects and the state policy
to encourage and expand opportunities for water reuse in a manner that protects public
health and the environment;
(b) Identify and work toward resolution of, with respect to the development of water re-
use projects, internal barriers within agencies, information needs within agencies and con-
flicts between agencies, to better enable state agencies to encourage and support expanded
water reuse in this state;
(c) Evaluate environmentally protective approaches that have been successfully employed
by other state water reuse programs and that may be appropriate for water reuse in this
state;
Enrolled House Bill 2169 (HB 2169-B) Page 1
(d) Identify and propose regulatory changes needed to overcome barriers to water reuse
in a manner that protects public health and the environment, including, but not limited to,
changes to state agency policies and internal guidance, administrative rules and state stat-
utes;
(e) Work to improve interagency collaboration and resolve conflicts, consistent with each
agency’s designated role and responsibilities, to encourage water reuse projects in a manner
that protects public health and the environment;
(f) Ensure that information and agency contacts regarding water reuse are current and
accessible to the public;
(g) Promote consistent and timely responsiveness to requests for information from the
public or other government agencies regarding water reuse;
(h) Develop technical assistance guidance, or other resources, for local governments,
industries and nongovernmental organizations seeking permitting and the development of
water reuse programs; and
(i) Establish goals and performance metrics on water reuse development in this state.
SECTION 3.
No later than December 15 of each odd-numbered year, the Department of
Environmental Quality, in coordination with the interagency water reuse team established
under section 2 of this 2025 Act, shall submit a report in the manner provided by ORS 192.245
to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to the environment. The re-
port must describe the progress made toward achieving the water reuse development goals
established under section 2 (2)(i) of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 4. Section 3 of this 2025 Act is repealed on January 2, 2032.
SECTION 5. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the General Fund appropriation
made to the Department of Environmental Quality by section 1 (2), chapter , Oregon
Laws 2025 (Enrolled Senate Bill 5520), for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025, for water
quality, is increased by $295,126 to carry out sections 1 to 3 of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 6. This 2025 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2025 Act takes effect
July 1, 2025.
Passed by House June 13, 2025
..................................................................................
Timothy G. Sekerak, Chief Clerk of House
..................................................................................
Julie Fahey, Speaker of House
Passed by Senate June 19, 2025
..................................................................................
Rob Wagner, President of Senate
Received by Governor:
........................M.,........................................................., 2025
Approved:
........................M.,........................................................., 2025
..................................................................................
Tina Kotek, Governor
Filed in Office of Secretary of State:
........................M.,........................................................., 2025
..................................................................................
Tobias Read, Secretary of State
Enrolled House Bill 2169 (HB 2169-B) Page 2