District manager: Idling money not distributed fairly    

May 7, 2010

   Irrigators throughout the Klamath Reclamation Project are being approached and paid to idle land to conserve water this year, but one irrigation district manager said the money wasn’t divided fairly between the Project’s west and east sides.

   About $4 million was provided to the Project from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to pay irrigators to idle their land this season, said Hollie Cannon, executive director of the Klamath Water & Power Agency, which is working with the bureau on idling land. About $3.5 million was allocated for the western portion of the Project, which is served by Upper Klamath Lake. The remaining $500,000 was for the east side, which receives water primarily from Clear Lake and Gerber Reservoir.

   Frank Hammerich, manager for Langell Valley Irrigation District, said the amount provided to the east side, where his district is, wasn’t sufficient. He said irrigators near Malin were being offered $220 per acre to idle, while he’d only be able to offer $30 per acre with the money the east side was allocated.

   “It’s a slap in the face from the bureau,” he said.

   Cannon said Hammerich wasn’t making a proper comparison. Cannon said only $30 per acre would be available if all of Hammerich’s district was idled, but that shouldn’t be the case.

   “He’s comparing apples to oranges,” he said.