Section 537.227 - Protest of application to assign all or part of water right permit(1) A record landowner, an assignee, an affected water right permit holder or other interested person may protest a Water Resources Department proposed final order for a water right assignment under ORS 537.225. The protest must be in writing and received by the department within the time provided under ORS 537.225(4). The protest must be accompanied by the protest fee required under ORS 536.050 and include: (a) The name, address and telephone number of the person filing the protest; and(b) A detailed explanation of why the proposed order does not conform with the criteria for a water right permit assignment and a description of the changes to the order that are necessary to correct the nonconformity.(2) A protest must identify all issues the person wishes to raise that are reasonably ascertainable at the time the protest is filed. The issues must directly pertain to whether the proposed replacement water right permits are authorized under and in conformance with ORS 537.225.(3) If a protest is properly filed, the department may work with the applicant for the water right assignment and the person filing the protest to determine whether the issues raised by the protest can be resolved informally. The department may: (a) Reissue a proposed final order;(b) Issue a final order; or(c) Refer the matter for a contested case hearing.(4) If the department is unable to resolve the issues informally and refers the matter for a contested case hearing, the issues properly before the administrative law judge are limited to whether the proposed replacement water right permits are authorized under and in conformance with ORS 537.225. Any unraised issue that was reasonably ascertainable at the time the protest was filed and any argument not raised in the protest with sufficient specificity to afford the department an opportunity for response is not subject to review at the contested case hearing.(5) Notwithstanding ORS 183.310, the parties to a contested case hearing held under this section are limited to: (a) The applicant for the water right assignment; and(b) Persons that timely filed a protest against the proposed order under ORS 537.225(4).