Salem, Ore. — The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted Friday following a preliminary review to open a formal investigation into allegations that Three Sisters Irrigation District board vice president Karl Nulton used his position to receive irrigation water he was not entitled to during restricted water deliveries last summer.
The complaint alleges Nulton instructed a TSID manager and staff not to shut off his irrigation after the district announced water delivery had dropped to 80% and junior water users were required to stop watering. Investigator Josh Sullivan told commissioners that preliminary information suggested Nulton continued irrigating despite the cutoff and may have been able to keep water flowing “but for his position on the board,” potentially receiving a financial benefit unavailable to other patrons.
Several commissioners questioned how penalty charges work and whether non-board members can also request water extensions, including cases where irrigation is needed to disperse fertilizer. The investigator said those issues would need further review.
Nulton, who appeared in person with his wife, disputed that he misused his office or gained anything financially. He said he had just fertilized his eight-acre field and was out of town at the coast when the cutoff occurred, leaving his automated sprinklers running. “There were four days that I watered of the seven days in question,” he said. Nulton also argued he could not have turned the water off remotely and emphasized that he donates all of his hay. “I don’t sell any of it. I’ve given over 325 tons of hay to my neighbor over 16 years,” he said. Nulton added that he told district staff he would pay any penalty charge if one were issued.
The majority, however, said more information was needed to determine whether Nulton had access or authority other irrigators did not.
Commission Chair Dave Fiskum stressed that the vote does not mean an ethics violation occurred. “We are moving forward not because we have found there to be a violation, but because we have expressed a need for more information,” he said.
The Commission also told Nulton that typical outcomes in cases like this are dismissals or letters of education, and that any investigation would likely conclude well before the six-month statutory window.
A message was left with staff at TSID seeking further comment from Nulton. Additional details from the OGEC are not yet releasable until the investigation is completed.
Mr. Alderman is an investigative journalist specializing in government transparency, non-profit accountability, consumer protection, and is a subject mater expert on Oregon’s public records and meetings laws. As a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer, he brings a disciplined investigative approach to his reporting that has frequently exposed ethics violations, financial mismanagement, and transparency failures by public officials and agencies.
