Department Of State Lands Awards Over $208,000 To Projects That Enhance Oregon's Waterways - 07/23/26

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Department of State Lands has awarded more than $208,000 through the Submerged Lands Enhancement Fund to support five projects that will restore fish habitat, address invasive aquatic plants, and improve public access to Oregon’s waterways.

"The Submerged Lands Enhancement Fund reflects our commitment to reinvesting in Oregon's public waterways,” said Director Kaitlin Lovell. “By supporting projects led by local partners, we're helping ensure these shared resources remain healthy, accessible, and resilient for generations to come."

2025–27 Grant Awards

• Recipient: Benton Soil and Water Conservation District
  • Award: $61,090
  • Project: Treat invasive aquatic plants, including invasive arrowhead (Saggitaria) and water primrose (Ludwigia) along a 16-mile reach of the middle Willamette River to improve habitat and water quality.
     
• Recipient: Willamette Riverkeeper
  • Award: $40,640
  • Project: Treat established infestations of invasive water primrose (Ludwigia) across priority sites in multiple counties along the Willamette River and side channels.
     
• Recipient: West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
  • Award: $10,178
  • Project: Survey and remove priority aquatic and riparian invasive plants in Multnomah Channel, Scappoose Bay, Sauvie Island, and Linnton Harbor.
     
• Recipient: City of Lincoln City
  • Award: $10,000
  • Project: Remove a deteriorated concrete structure at Devil's Lake to prepare the site for future installation of an ADA-accessible kayak launch at Regatta Park.
     
• Recipient: North Clackamas Watersheds Council
  • Award: $86,446
  • Project: Restore habitat in the Elk Rock Island backwater channel by installing large wood structures that create refuge for young salmon, steelhead, and lamprey.

"Seventy percent of Oregon's population lives in the Willamette Basin, so what happens there affects the vast majority of Oregonians,” shared Neil Schulman, Executive Director of North Clackamas Watersheds Council. “The Elk Rock Island Back Channel Project is critical because it's the only back channel in this stretch of the river and provides important rearing habitat for Willamette Basin and Lower Columbia salmon, steelhead, and lamprey. Instream projects on the Willamette mainstem are complex, and the Department of State Lands' support is vital to getting it to construction in 2027."

Together, these projects demonstrate the value of partnering with local organizations to care for Oregon's natural resources, providing lasting benefits for people, fish and wildlife, and the health of our waters.

About the Submerged Lands Enhancement Fund

Established by the Oregon Legislature in 2017 and administered by the Oregon Department of State Lands, the Submerged Lands Enhancement Fund is supported by a portion of the revenue generated through waterway authorizations. Eligible applicants include local governments, federally recognized Tribes, water improvement districts, watershed councils, park and recreation districts, ports, nonprofit organizations, and state agencies. The grants fund projects that improve water quality, restore fish and wildlife habitat, remove marine debris or derelict structures, improve public access, and protect the state's submerged and submersible lands. Learn more about the Submerged Lands Enhancement Fund at the Department of State Lands website.

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www.oregon.gov/dsl

Comment Opportunity On Undersea Infrastructure Easements In Oregon's Territorial Sea - 07/01/26

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) is seeking comments on proposed changes to administrative rules (OAR 141-083) that guide how easements are issued for uses of the territorial sea. Proposed changes are intended to strengthen protections for Oregon’s marine ecosystems, streamline permitting, and ensure fair public compensation for use of the seafloor.

The comment period is open from July 1 – August 3, 2026 (closes at 5:00 p.m. Pacific).

Why are Changes Needed?

For decades, cables have been installed on the bottom of Oregon’s territorial sea—the area of the Pacific Ocean extending from the shoreline to three nautical miles offshore. These cables, often called “undersea” or “submarine” cables, carry global data through optical fibers and are placed on, attached to, or buried beneath the seafloor. In the future, similar infrastructure may also include power transmission cables and pipelines to serve purposes like carrying electricity from offshore wind turbines to shore.

DSL, with approval from the State Land Board, issues easements for use of the territorial sea. DSL is one of several agencies with a regulatory role in the territorial sea, but the administrative rules guiding DSL’s work are out of date.

Oregon’s administrative rules governing these easements have not been comprehensively updated in 25 years. Since then, undersea infrastructure technology has evolved significantly, including the development of SMART cables that support both data transmission and sensors for ocean monitoring. In addition, Oregon’s Territorial Sea Plan Part Four was updated in 2023, and Senate Bill 793 now requires DSL to set application and compensation fees for easements associated with water, gas, electric, and communication infrastructure in the territorial sea. These changes in technology, policy, and state law make updates to the rules necessary.

What’s Proposed

• Alignment with Oregon’s ocean resource management goals. Proposed updates align DSL’s easement review and authorization processes with Oregon’s Territorial Sea Plan Part Four and other applicable state policies governing uses of the seafloor.
• Enhanced application requirements. Applicants would be required to provide additional information during project planning and review, including resource and use inventories, effects evaluations, decommissioning plans, emergency response plans, and information about potential encroachments. Early coordination through pre-application meetings and the Joint Agency Review Team would help identify information needs and potential issues before applications are submitted.
• A cooperative review framework. Updates would support collaboration among applicants, state and federal agencies, Tribal governments, and local communities. Clearer requirements and review procedures would provide greater transparency and predictability throughout the process.
• New fee structure. A new structure for application fees will support sustainable funding for the interagency application review. New compensation fees allow use of Oregon’s territorial sea while compensating Oregonians for the usage of this public resource. Revenues go to the Common School Fund.

See the notice of rules filing and the proposed rules, as well as a summary of proposed fees.

A rulemaking advisory committee was convened from February through June 2026 to inform the proposed changes, and a summary of RAC input can be found here.

How to Comment

Visit the DSL website for all rulemaking materials, including a draft of the proposed rules, all related materials from the rulemaking advisory committee, and the online comment form.

The comment deadline is Monday, August 3, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. (Pacific).

Public Hearings

Feedback on the proposed rulemaking can be provided during the following public meetings which will begin with an information session with time for questions, followed by a public hearing. Recordings and minutes will be posted online afterwards.

• In-person: The meetings held at the in-person locations are in-person only and will not have virtual access.
  • North Bend, OR: Monday, July 20 at 6:30 p.m. at North Bend Community Center, 2222 Broadway Ave., North Bend, OR 97459
  • Newport, OR: Tuesday, July 21 at 5:00 p.m. at Hatfield Marine Science Center, Classroom 30/32 (HMSC 3032), 2030 SE Marine Science Dr., Newport, OR 97365 (map to classroom)
  • Seaside, OR: Wednesday, July 22 at 5:30 p.m. at Seaside Library, 1131 Broadway, Seaside, OR 97138
     
• Virtual (online only): Thursday, July 23 at 2:30 p.m.
  • Meeting ID: 250 886 8653
  • Join online: Click here to join (Passcode: w#EnJ067)
  • Join by phone: 1-669-444-9171 (Passcode: 87671005)

Written Comments

Comments may also be submitted in writing by online form, emailed to dsl.rules@dsl.oregon.gov or mailed to DSL (Attn: Rules Coordinator) at 775 Summer Street NE, Suite 100, Salem, OR 97301.

What Happens Next?

After the comment period closes and comments are addressed, proposed rules are presented at an upcoming meeting of the State Land Board for a decision. The public may provide additional testimony at that time.

If adopted, these proposed rules and fees are anticipated to go into effect in January 2027. For the latest updates, visit the DSL website.

About the State Land Board and the Department of State Lands: The State Land Board consists of Governor Tina Kotek, Secretary of State Tobias Read, and State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner. Established by the Oregon Constitution in 1859, the Land Board oversees the state’s Common School Fund. The Department of State Lands is the Land Board’s administrative agency, managing the lands and resources that help fund Oregon’s public schools and protecting the state’s waterways and wetlands for the many benefits they provide.

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www.oregon.gov/dsl