Private Lateral SWAP
As part of the Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District’s (DSWCD) Soil and Water Assistance Program (SWAP), DSWCD will be offering a private lateral piping program that addresses the delivery and conveyance of water to two or more landowners from a shared irrigation district point of diversion for water conservation and piped pressure capture.
Funded applications will require landholder cooperation, maintenance agreements, and infrastructure will require establishing easements over location of pipe.
Any patron on a private lateral is able to apply.
The program will fund all three stages of private lateral implementation which are offered in order in which they must occur:
Part 1
10% Design & Feasibility
Part 2
100% Design & Engineering
Part 3
Infrastructure Implementation
Eligibility
Part 1: 10% Design and Feasibility
Private lateral is located and servicing parcels located in Deschutes County.
All landowners on private lateral have signed interest form agreeing to the survey, engineering design, and willingness to create a maintenance agreement which includes filing easements with the county.
A point of contact has been established by the landowners for communication and delivering information.
Consultation from Irrigation District that private lateral piping would not harm current piping efforts.
Part 2: 100% Design and Engineering
Have 10% design and feasibility completed.
Private lateral located and servicing parcels located in Deschutes County
All landowners on private lateral have signed interest form agreeing to the survey, engineering design, and willingness to create a maintenance agreement which includes filing easements with the county.
A point of contact has been established by the landowners for communication and delivering information.
Consultation from Irrigation District that private lateral piping would not harm current piping efforts.
Part 3: Infrastructure Implementation
100% Design and Engineering of private lateral is completed.
A point of contact has been established by the landowners for communication and delivering information.
All landowners have signed a maintenance agreement.
Easements are signed, held on file, will be filed with the county after project completion.
FAQ
As long as the 10% Design and Feasibility meet the standards needed to complete the 100% Engineering and Design, then, no.
No! By signing the interest form you are only agreeing to allow us the necessary access to your property for design, feasibility, and engineering. The interest form also includes that you would be willing to establish a maintenance agreement with fellow neighbors and put an easement over the pipe if it gets installed, neither of which are signed until implementation. We are very explicit about costs if they are ever included, we would never want you to be caught off guard. This is a collaborative process with openness, transparency, and trust being essential to collaboration.
Our goal is to fully fund, or find funding to fully fund each stage of the private lateral. However, priority of private lateral funding is influenced by additional funding contributed, so landowners who pull funding resources together could rank higher than those not wanting to pay anything.
All of the properties along the private lateral will hold the easement for the pipe. This ensures that irrigation district employees can access new points of diversion and that fellow landowners can ensure the operation and maintenance agreement is being met for the pipe.
You can absolutely apply and we can work with you to meet with landowners hesitant about the program. We NEVER force anyone to participate. Everyone must agree to participate to be eligible for funding. You are not alone, let us help make the experience a positive one for all landowners on your private lateral.
Still have questions? Reach out!