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This Website is Dedicated to  Alvin Alexander Cheyne January 10, 1921 - June 17, 2005

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Comments

 

Greetings,

 

Thanks you for the opportunity to comment On PacifiCorps relicensing application for the Klamath Hydro project.

 

I have worked in the Klamath River watershed for almost the last 50 years, the term of the license, and potentially the term of a new one.

 

Much has changed in that time including myself. Years ago I worked and lived at the mouth of the Klamath in the little town of Requa. I worked in a timber industry that was thriving and on my time off, would rent a boat and fish for salmon in the river, which were also thriving.

 

Now I am living and working at the other end of the river, the headwaters in Klamath Falls. I no longer work in the timber industry, though I am a general contractor and as for fishing, I am a professional guide and spend as much time as I can on the water with clients, showcasing the Klamath watershed, and advocating for water quality and sustainable ecosystems (including the human).

 

During this time I have served on the Upper Klamath Basin Working Group (5 years as co-chair), the Department of Agriculture Water Quality Area Management Plan (3 years as Chair), the Department of Environmental Quality Advisory Committee for the Upper Klamath Lake TMDL, and many other natural resource based organizations.

 

I mention this only to reference the fact that I have spent a great deal of time and thought on the Klamath and my considered opinion is that to achieve the goals so many of us in the watershed strive for, the dams must go.

 

The benchmark is water quality and the way to establish it is through a free flowing river.

 

The salmon, the social and economic issues, the fish or farm disconnect and the native American disenfranchisement, all are impacted by the impoundments behind the so appropriately named Iron Gate Dam.

 

Over the years this had led to the perception that there is an Upper and a Lower Basin, but in reality it is one watershed, and holistic planning for it’s health and sustainability would best be served by removing the barriers between the two.

 

The arguments against removing the dams for the most part seem to be economic, forgone revenue, cost of decommissioning, etc., and yet that is only one side of the ledger when the full value of the ecosystem services a free flowing and functional river provides are factored in, I believe the economic benefits would outweigh the liabilities. Many responsible people say the defining issue of this next century will be water, and where is there a better opportunity to get it right than the magnificent Klamath?

 

Sincerely

Jim Carpenter

Carpenter Design, Inc.

Klamath Falls, Oregon