By ELON GLUCKLICH

H&N Staff Reporter

August 31, 2010

   Just how bad has this year’s water shortage been for Klamath Basin irrigators? The answer depends on who you ask.

   Situation ‘not normal’

   In areas like Malin and Tulelake, “There are whole tracks of land, whole farms that did not get irrigation water,” Kandra said. “That’s certainly not normal.”

   One-fifth of his land near the Oregon-California border went un-irrigated, he said, and others have had to work with less.

   Water from the Upper Klamath Lake fell below normal levels at the start of 2010.  

   But Mallams claims the Bureau of Reclamation and local irrigation districts released water behind schedule despite conditions that closely resemble a normal water year.

   Kevin Moore, a spokesman with the Bureau of Reclamation, disputed Mallams’ claim, saying that the levels in Upper Klamath Lake were below average.  

   “Our releases (of water) have adhered to biological opinion requirements” on Upper Klamath Lake, Moore said.

   Though Mallams said he’s glad farmers are getting water, he thinks water should have been made available at an earlier date.

   “If we’re in a drought, we’re in a drought. If we’re not, then release the water,” he said.  

   The impact of increased well use also is a concern.

   “Two years in a row like this is unsustainable,” Kandra said, adding that uncontrolled well use could lead to situations similar to Merrill, when the town lost all of its irrigation water for several days this summer.

   Earl Danosky, manager of the Tulelake Irrigation District, agreed with Kandra, saying this year has been especially burdensome for farmers in his area.

   “For the farmers here, it’s been a real bad year,” Danosky said. The TID is responsible for irrigating approximately 61,000 acres of land in the Tulelake region. This year, more than 13,000 acres — 21 percent of the total land — are without water.

   “There’s a lot of idle land in our district,” he said. “It’s really ugly here.”