Harney Basin Groundwater Study

The Harney Basin Groundwater Study is a cooperative study between WRD and the US Geological Survey. An intensive data gathering effort occurred between 2015 and 2018, a data analysis and reporting stage began in 2019, and the peer-review and publication process occurred from 2020 to 2022. A groundwater study advisory committee, which included local water users and other interested stakeholders, was jointly appointed by the Department and the County Court to receive updates and provide input into the study. The advisory committee had their final meeting in December 2019. The final, peer-reviewed report was released in April 2022.

Click on the links below to access documents or websites associated with the Groundwater Study:

• Open File Reports
• SIR 2021- 5103 Groundwater resources of the Harney Basin, southeastern Oregon (usgs.gov)
• SIR 2021-5128: Hydrologic budget of the Harney Basin groundwater system, southeastern Oregon (usgs.gov)
• OFR 2021-01 Generalized Geologic Compilation Map of the Harney Basin
  
• OFR 2021-01 Map Plate
  
• OFR 2021-01 GIS Data
  
• OFR 2021-02: Historical Irrigation Water Use and Groundwater Pumpage Estimates in the Harney Basin, Oregon
  
• OFR 2021-02: Harney Basin Metric Geodatabase
  
• OFR 2021-03 Methods and Results for Estimating Groundwater Pumped, Returned, and Consumed for Non-Irrigation Uses in the Harney Basin, Oregon
  
• OFR 2021-04: Methods and Results for Estimating the Hydraulic Characteristics of the Subsurface Materials in the Harney Basin, Oregon
  


• 2016 Groundwater Study Work Plan
• 2018 Groundwater Study Work Plan Updates Memo
• USGS-WRD Harney Basin Data Mapper
• WRD Groundwater Information System
• USGS Harney Basin Groundwater Study Website
• Past Studies and Documents
• 2015 Memo on Harney Permitted Groundwater Rights and Groundwater Budget
• 2015 WRD Staff Report to the Water Resources Commission
• 2015 WRD Presentation to the Water Resources Commission