Groups agree on Klamath plan

January 16, 2008

By Michelle Ma

Triplicate staff writer

Klamath Basin stakeholders have agreed on a plan to restore the Klamath River 's health that calls for removal of PacifiCorp's four hydroelectric dams.

Organizations that have historically fought and pointed fingers over water crises in the basin now are endorsing a plan that has been deemed the largest river restoration effort in U.S. history.

The agreement, announced Tuesday, is the product of two years of confidential talks involving Indian tribes, federal and state agencies, farmers, commercial fishermen and conservation groups.

"This agreement, we believe, is going to finally move this whole basin toward a future that will bring our communities together again, will restore fish, and provide permanency and predictability," said Jeff Mitchell, a Klamath Tribes council member who has been active in negotiations. "We look forward to a day when PacifiCorp joins us."

The settlement plan, which addresses water supply for up-river irrigators and healthy conditions for salmon, is contingent upon PacifiCorp agreeing to remove the dams.

Dam removal would open about 300 miles of spawning habitat that have not hosted salmon for the past century.

Separate, confidential talks with the power company are going on now, and stakeholders hope that Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp will agree to take out the dams.

"Given the economics of the situation, there's a real opportunity to strike a deal with PacifiCorp that helps us get the dams out," said Craig Tucker, Klamath coordinator for the Karuk Tribe.

The settlement also depends on approval of about $400 million in new funding over 10 years, mostly from Congress.

The plan contains no provision for paying the estimated $180 million to remove the dams, leaving that to PacifiCorp.

Along with pressing for dam removal, stakeholders now must review the draft settlement with constituents, then appeal for funding and implementation from Congress.

Troy Fletcher, policy analyst and Yurok Tribe member said, "We're prepared to do our part—roll our sleeves up and get to work restoring fish in the basin."

PacifiCorp has previously said it would be willing to remove the dams if its ratepayers don't have to pay. But it has also been pursuing a new 30- or 50-year operating license that would require it to spend about $300 million to build fish ladders on the dams.

The dams produce enough power for about 70,000 homes.

The power company wasn't included in these settlement talks and subsequently hasn't reviewed the proposals, said PacifiCorp spokesman Paul Vogel.

"We have been intentionally excluded from the discussion," Vogel said. "We're not sure what it settles when the license holder and several hundreds of thousands of customers weren't at the table."

The company will continue to pursue relicensing of the hydroelectric company with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Vogel said.

Steve Thompson, a regional director with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said current negotiations with PacifiCorp are "very intense and active."

Progress likely will be made within the next few weeks with the power company, Thompson said.

Within the group of 26 stakeholders, negotiators representing the Hoopa Valley Tribe and farmers not part of the Klamath Reclamation Project opposed the agreement announced Tuesday.

Some critics of the proposed settlement were concerned that river water flow levels outlined in the agreement wouldn't be the most beneficial for salmon. But stakeholders who approved the deal said fish would benefit.

"Conditions for fish will be significantly improved over the status quo," said Steve Rothert with American Rivers, a conservation group.

Salmon and steelhead recovery in the Klamath River isn't just dependent on ideal in-stream flows, said Chuck Bonham with Trout Unlimited. River habitat restoration and partnerships with lower- and upper-basin communities will all help to manage the river's fisheries, he said.

Methods for rebuilding fisheries in the Klamath River and providing more water-supply certainty to farmers who depend on water for irrigation are detailed in the settlement proposal.

Representatives from different settlement parties said they have reached a landmark agreement, considering each has experienced debilitating loses with the Klamath River .

A drought in 2001 pushed the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to shut off irrigation to about 1,000 farms on the Klamath Reclamation Project along the California-Oregon border. Adequate water levels had to be maintained for the endangered suckers in Upper Klamath Lake —which feeds the irrigation project—and threatened salmon in the Klamath River .

A year later, Indian tribes, conservationists and commercial fishermen experienced a large fish kill in the river. Low water flows and warm water were cited as possible reasons why the salmon died from diseases.

But negotiators say they have moved past the difficult years and are on the brink of improving the river's health for the collective good.

"This package is the product of a negotiation," said Greg Addington with the Klamath Water Users Association. "We've had rotating disasters ... those things are just far enough behind us that the bitterness has worn off. We have a window of opportunity here."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reach Michelle Ma at mma@triplicate.com.

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