Water future

Stakeholders represent a variety of interests

By STEVE KADEL

H&N Staff Writer

December 16, 2007

   Two-dozen diverse stakeholders began meeting in 2005 to develop a consensus based solution for the Klamath Basin ’s longstanding water disputes. 

   The Klamath Settlement Group includes Indian tribes, farmers, conservation groups, and state and federal agencies. Their interests include restoring Klamath River fisheries, including salmon and suckers; meeting agricultural needs for irrigation; protecting water quality and sustaining the ecology and economies of the Basin. 

   Among those with critical interests are the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the Klamath Irrigation Project, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which operates six national wildlife refuges. 

   The full list of participants, who hope to release a settlement document soon, include: 

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service; U.S. Department of the Interior, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

   Also participating are the California Department of Fish and Game, California Resources Agency; state of Oregon , including the Oregon Governor’s Natural Resources Office, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Oregon Water Resources Department. 

   Tribes include the Klamath Tribes, and from California the Hoopa Valley Tribe, Karuk Tribe and Yurok Tribe. 

   County governments taking part are Klamath County ; Humbolt County , Calif. ; and Siskiyou County , Calif.  

   Other participants are Klamath Off-Project Water Users; Klamath Water Users Association; Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations; American Rivers ; California Trout, Friends of the River; Klamath Forest Alliance; North Coast Environmental Center ; Northern California/Nevada Council, Federation of Fly Fishers; Salmon River Restoration Council; Trout Unlimited; and the National Center for Conservation Science and Policy. 

   PacifiCorp filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2004 to continue operating its hydroelectric dams in Southern Oregon and Northern California . At the same time, PacifiCorp gave the regional representatives the chance to settle the dispute over the four dams. 

   Representatives accepted the challenge and the settlement group was born.

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