Oregon Revised Statutes Water Resources: Irrigation, Drainage, Flood Control, Reclamation § 537.160

(1) Subject to the provisions of subsections (2) and (3) of this section, and of ORS 537.170 and 537.190, the Water Resources Department shall approve all applications made in proper form which contemplate the application of water to a beneficial use, unless the proposed use conflicts with existing rights.

(2) The department may not approve an application for a permit to appropriate waste or seepage water, which is to be carried through an existing ditch or canal not owned wholly by the applicant until the applicant files with the department an agreement between the applicant and the owner of the ditch or canal, authorizing its use by the applicant to carry the water.

(3) The department shall reject every application for a permit to appropriate water to develop hydroelectric power if the department finds that the proposed project does not comply with the standards set forth in ORS 543.017 or rules adopted by the Water Resources Commission under ORS 543.017.