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July 1, 2006
By STEVE KADEL
H&N Staff Writer
Waves and burrowing animals have carved deeply into Lake Ewauna's shore.
But a test program this fall
might be the cure. The Lake Ewauna Wetland Enhancement Project will use a rock
wall to slow wave action and prevent erosion.
The bank, which often is at 90 degrees or undercut in concave fashion, will be
reshaped to slope up at a 45-degree angle. That's intended to thwart muskrats
and other animals' attempts to burrow.
Vegetation will be planted where the bank slope is changed.
Repair work along the Wingwatchers' trail is headed by Dani Watson of the Oregon
State University Extension Service and Klamath Watershed Council.
“Historically they've put log booms out,” she said. “It stops the top
level of water.”
But that does nothing to water surging toward land under the logs. Thus the wall
extending from what Watson calls “a nice hard pan” on lake bottom up to the
water surface.
A 120-yard section of shoreline will be treated as a test. If it works - a determination that will take a few years - more of the lake's shore will be treated, Watson said.
“We'll have a clue after a year, but not a
definitive answer,” she said.
The wall will be about 30 yards offshore in 2 feet of water. An excavator will
be used to put rocks into the water. The operator must place the rocks carefully
to avoid stirring up sediment, Watson said. The test project will cost $50,000,
including engineering design and a consultant's advice. It's measured by three
gauges placed at three shoreline locations.
Upper Klamath Lake:
Mark Buettner, a fisheries biologist for FWS, acknowledged the lake level does
not currently meet the biological opinion's requirement. But he said the agency
has OK'd the temporary discrepancy, which was due to circumstances beyond
Reclamation's control.
Analyses by Reclamation and
FWS conclude the current level will provide adequate sucker habitat this year.
Lake water that filled Caledonia Marsh will likely stay there at least until
fall, Buettner said. Pumping it back into Upper Klamath “wasn't deemed
practical” because of the cost and difficulty of the task, he said.
Meanwhile, Reclamation officials have called on
water bank suppliers to pump well water into the irrigation system.
“We have everything available turned on and running for us,” said Cecil
Lesley, chief of Reclamation's water and land division. “We will continue
(using) the water bank until it's gone or we match the required elevation in the
lake.”
Another factor in reaching
the desired level begins today, when the amount of Klamath River water flowing
through Iron Gate dam in California will be reduced by about two-thirds.
Flow requirements called for 2,900 cubic feet of water per second to course
through the dam. However, that number dropped to 1,000 CFS at midnight Friday.
Lesley estimated it will
take about nine days to make the transition.
Reclamation spokeswoman Rae Olsen noted “seasonal inflows” to Klamath Lake
have been lower than anticipated. The situation might be caused by low
groundwater levels from several years of drought, she said.
However, things look good for irrigators this summer, said Reclamation's acting
area manager Christine Karas.
“We do not anticipate any shortages to the Project,” she said. “The Fish
and Wildlife Service is really working with us on this.”
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Source: http://www.heraldandnews.com/articles/2006/07/01/news/local_news/local1.txt
