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Stability sought both on and off the Project 

 

KBRA outlines different approaches for on- and off-Project irrigators 

 

By SARA HOTTMAN 

H&N Staff Reporter

October 2, 2010

 

     The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement seeks to stabilize water as a crucial resource for irrigators, environmental groups and the Klamath Tribes, all of whom have longrunning disputes over water rights.

 

   The agreement outlines different approaches for on-Project and off-Project irrigators. On-Project irrigators are in irrigation districts within the Klamath Reclamation Project, under the Bureau of Reclamation’s jurisdiction. Off-Project irrigators are individuals who draw water from tributaries outside of the Project.

 

   But irrigators disagree over whether the agreement will help or make things worse.

 

   Voters should care because water is becoming an increasingly protected resource in Oregon; its conservation is no longer just a rural problem. Municipalities, business and industry are becoming entangled in water issues, setting the stage for more regulations and conservation agreements.     

 

   The Klamath Reclamation Project, formed in 1905 by the federal Bureau of Reclamation, encompasses irrigators in south-central Oregon and north- central California, about 210,000 acres of cropland. It draws water from Upper Klamath Lake, the Kla math River, Clear Lake Reservoir, Gerber Reservoir and the Lost River.

 

   Oregon irrigators out side the project draw their water from the Wood, Sprague, Sycan and Williamson rivers.

 

   The KBRA promises irrigators a stabilized water supply, affordable power rates, and settlements. On- and off-Project irrigators have different opinions of the feasibility.  

 

   What it means to on-Project irrigators

 

   Greg Addington, director of the Klamath Water Users Association, which represents on-Project irrigation districts, said the KBRA takes a “market-driven approach to align our demand with   the supply,” meaning it will adjust stakeholders’ water use according to how much water is available.

 

   “What we had to fix was the insecurity of the water supply. Not knowing what you’re going to get or when you’re going to get it,” he said. “Will it work perfec tly? Probably not. But it can’t work worse than what we have now.”

 

   Calls to known on-Project and off-Project opponents of the KBRA were placed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and were not returned by deadline, noon on Friday.  

 

   In the past, opponents have objected to the concessions KBRA makes to the Klamath Tribes and environmental groups, which reduce the amount of water irrigators have available to them during regular water years.  

 

   What it means to off-Project irrigators

 

   Becky Hyde, member of the Upper Klamath Water Users Association, which represents some irrigators north of the Klamath Reclamation Project, said the KBRA ensures a future for irrigated agriculture and family farms and ranches above Upper Klamath Lake.

 

   Part of the agreement is working out a settlement with the Klamath Tribes, which on-Project irrigators have.

 

   “We worked to secure affordable power for off-Project irrigators in the agreements. … KBRA provides regulatory assurances, protecting our farmers and ranchers from Endangered Species (Act),” she said. “In KBRA, we have the most protection possible from Endangered Species that’s allowed under the law.

 

   “There are some folks out there who are not taking biological opinions or the Endangered Species Act seriously, but it is very serious. If it’s not dealt with, we potentially do not irrigate in the future. KBRA lays out a process to deal with that.”

 

Side Bars

 

 

What is the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement?   

 

   The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement seeks to stabilize water supplies among stakeholders in the Klamath Basin — tribes, environmental groups and irrigators — and also addresses power rates.

 

   The effort was launched in 2004, when PacifiCorp, a   power company, started the process to renew a 50-year federal license to operate four hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River in Oregon and Northern California. Stakeholders wanted to represent their interests, especially in the wake of a devastating 2001 drought, when irrigators   had their water shut off.

 

   Some irrigators and some other stakeholders in different factions disagree over whether the KBRA best represents their interests.

 

   Essentially, the agreement and its associated dam removal plan seek to: remove   PacifiCorp’s four dams to improve water quality and fish habitats; establish sustainable water supplies and affordable power rates for irrigators; help the Klamath Tribes acquire 92,000 acres of privately owned timberland; and fund wildlife habitat restoration in the region.  

 

   The federal government would be responsible for implementation which would be a decades-long, $1.5 billion endeavor. Elements of the agreement cannot be implemented until environmental and economic impact reviews are conducted. Other aspects hinge on federal funding.

 
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