Levee breach successful  

Water now covers 2,500 acres, restoring wetlands for suckers

ABOVE: The Williamson River delta, seen here in August. BELOW: The same area, shown here this month, after the levees were broken.  

By STEVE KADEL

H&N Staff Writer

   The recent explosions that breached four half-mile sections of levee on the Williamson River delta appeared to do their job, successfully restoring wetlands for larval suckers, Nature Conservancy officials said. 

   The organization used 100 tons of explosives to remove the levees during a series of blasts Oct. 30. By the following Saturday, water covered 2,500 acres at the river’s mouth that had served as agricultural land for several decades. 

   Aerial photos of the delta before and after breaching show a dramatic difference in water cover. The wetlands restoration project was designed to increase Upper Klamath Lake ’s water storage capacity by 17,000 acre feet — or about 6 million gallons. 

   Taking samples 

   The Nature Conservancy is collecting water samples to check for such things as pH level, the amount of dissolved oxygen and levels of phosphorous and nitrogen. Results are not yet available, said Matt Barry, project manager for the Conservancy. 

   In the spring, larval suckers will be studied to see how the new wetlands “nursery” is being used. 

   “We will be trying to see where they are and what condition they’re in,” Barry said. 

   The project’s goal was to restore five square miles of marshland to help endangered suckers and improve water quality in the lake. If things go as planned, larval suckers will spend more time in new wetlands habitat before entering the lake, where predation is higher. 

   Larval fish will be sent to Oregon State University to test their age, which will indicate how long they stayed in the wetlands. Barry said tests at OSU will measure the number of rings on the fishes’ bones — similar to tree rings — to determine their age. 

   The ambitious wetlands restoration project will cost about $10 million. The next step is to break levees at Goose Bay on the southeast portion of the delta. 

   Dirt instability 

   Explosives were needed for the recent levee removal because the dirt wasn’t stable enough to support heavy equipment. However, the Goose Bay levees will be taken out by traditional method instead of with explosives because the area becomes dry during summer. 

   Barry said Goose Bay has about 2,200 acres to be flooded. Water level will be lower there than other areas of the wetlands, possibly offering optimum habitat for fish. 

   “That’s the side I think will be better for larval suckers,” Barry said. 

   The wetlands program is two years ahead of schedule, he said, due in large part to fast levee removal work by LTM Inc. of Klamath Falls . The company removed more than 1 million cubic yards of dirt in 2006. Ten yards of dirt is considered a standard dump truck load. 

   “We under-estimated the ability of a good contractor to move dirt,” Barry said of LTM. “They geared and had 25 or 30 guys out there every day. They did a wonderful job.”

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