Klamath dam plan takes another step

After years of negotiations among stakeholders with diverse beliefs on how the Klamath River’s resources should be used and protected, an agreement has been reached that’s part of a two-pronged approach to remove four dams along the waterway.

On Friday, various groups, including American Indian tribes, fishermen, farmers and government representatives, announced the release of a final draft of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, which aims to spend $1 billion to improve fish and wildlife habitat and ensure farmers and irrigators have enough water for their own needs.

It’s directly related to another agreement that was announced in September — the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement — that outlines the particulars of taking out four PacifiCorp-owned dams on the upper Klamath River that currently block over 300 miles of spawning habitat for salmon, steelhead and other fish species, and are blamed for poor water quality.

The next step is for all the parties in the negotiations to sign the agreements, which is expected to occur sometime next month.

Yurok Tribe Policy Analyst Troy Fletcher, who is a lead negotiator for the tribe, said it’s up to each party to decide whether it wants to sign on, though he added that it’s his “impression” that those who were involved in the discussions will likely agree to the terms they helped form.

“The work really starts now,” Fletcher said. “We will have to work hard and be diligent to implement the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and the hydro agreement.”

Before dam removal can begin — the agreements call for a free-flowing river by 2020 — several hurdles must be crossed. While some mechanisms for funding the removal have already been created, California’s $250 million share still must be approved by voters as part of the state’s contentious $11 billion water bond, and the federal government needs to pass its own legislative spending measures. 

There are also a number of studies that must be performed before the dams come out, and by 2012 the U.S. Secretary of the Interior must make a determination on whether the social and environmental impact of removal outweighs leaving the structures in.

“What the bottom line is is these are remarkable agreements considering the history of the Klamath and the conflicts on the Klamath,” Fletcher said. “The Yurok Tribe has been diligent and worked on these agreements and worked on these issues for a long time. It’s gratifying that we’re closing in on another chapter and setting the stage for the future of the fish on the river.”

On Tuesday, the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors will have an opportunity to weigh in on the two agreements. Officials from the Yurok Tribe will be on hand to discuss the various aspects of dam removal, and see if the county is interested in becoming a part of the process.

“It’s for the county to review the agreements and make a decision on how they want to proceed,” Fletcher said. “We simply want to make sure the county’s provided with the information, and the Yurok Tribe has worked to make sure the county has the option of being a party now or not.”

Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Hemmingsen said there’s a lot of information that needs to discussed before a decision is made about signing the agreements, and that it will ultimately be based upon how dam removal will affect the entire county.

“I think we’ll have to take a little bit of time to digest everything, and it depends on what the board wants to do,” Hemmingsen said. “They’ve been working on it for years so it would be very difficult to make a decision in just a few days.”

The Board of Supervisors meeting is 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Flynn Administration Center, 981 H St.