ORS 196.605: Purpose.

It is the purpose of ORS 196.600 to 196.655 to:

      (1) Promote, in concert with other federal and state programs as well as interested parties, the maintenance and conservation of the water resources of this state;

      (2) Improve cooperative efforts among private, nonprofit and public entities for the management and protection of the waters of this state;

      (3) Offset losses of the functions and values of the water resources of this state caused by activities that otherwise comply with state and federal law in order to create, restore, enhance or preserve those functions and values;

      (4) Maintain and encourage a predictable, efficient regulatory framework for environmentally acceptable development;

      (5) Provide an option for accomplishing off-site compensatory mitigation when on-site compensatory mitigation is not practicable; and

      (6) Allow the use of mitigation banks to offset adverse effects from removal or fill activities on the waters of this state.