A tough month for water in Basin  

H&N Staff Writer

March 21, 2010

   That possibility generated a visit from Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and a push by the region’s federal lawmakers to get federal aid and assistance for affected farms and ranches.

   Here’s a rundown of what’s happened and what’s happening:

   In early March, government officials, including those in the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, announced that Upper Klamath Lake’s water levels were at record lows, and that snowpack and river inflows were below average.  

   Even with significant rainfall between March and May, it is highly unlikely the lake would be filled enough to meet the full demand of irrigators and of endangered fish species.

   Kulongoski visited the Klamath Basin March 9 to meet with federal agencies overseeing the Klamath Reclamation Project and with farmers and ranchers impacted by the impending water shortage.       

   The governor also met with the heads of state agencies about providing aid to Klamath County irrigators unable raise crops.

   During the visit, irrigators, agricultural business owners and the Klamath Tribes told him about hardships of the water shutoff in 2001, and said swift action is needed to prevent a similar situation this year.

   Kulongoski pledged to get state aid to the area and fast track aspects of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, a document developed to resolve the region’s water conflicts.  

   Shortly after the governor’s visit, Oregon’s senators in Washington, D.C., sent letters to three U.S. secretaries requesting help for the Basin.

   Residents said the response to the pending water shortage was better than it was in 2001, but they still anticipated a difficult summer for the agricultural community.  

   In a flashback to the 2001 water crisis, a decision by the Oregon Supreme Court injected new life into a lawsuit filed by Project irrigators after water was withheld to protect endangered fish. Attorneys representing the irrigators said they expect the matter would be sent back to court for a decision that could favor their clients.

   Klamath tribal members noted a different atmosphere during this impending water shortage compared to the crisis in 2001. While the Tribes conducted their annual c’waam ceremony near Chiloquin, some tribal members said there was a greater sense of cooperation between irrigators and the tribal community.  

   On March 17, Kulongoski signed a drought declaration for Klamath and surrounding counties. The declaration allows some actions, such as permitting of emergency groundwater wells, to be processed more quickly, and helps secure direct aid and services. Lawmakers in Washington sent requests to federal agencies for a similar declaration and aid.

   The Bureau of Reclamation announced it would provide a projected 150,000 acre-feet of water to the Project beginning in mid-May. That amount is about 30 to 40 percent of what is typically provided each year.

   The federal agency also announced it would provide $5.25 million to a groundwater pumping program that would provide another 50,000 acre-feet.

   A tribe on the lower portion of the Klamath River and environmentalists criticized the announcement, saying it would jeopardize the environment and endangered species.  

   Irrigators and those in the Basin’s agricultural community welcomed the news of some water, but said it wouldn’t be enough to allow every irrigator to produce crops this year.