Stakeholders weigh in on lawsuits 

December 17, 2009   

   Greg Addington says he welcomes a recent lawsuit that accuses the state of Oregon of violating state law by participating in talks on the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.

   Portland-based Water for Life filed the lawsuit last week in Marion County Circuit Court. It asks the court to prohibit the Oregon Water Resources Department from participating in water talks because they are not open to the public.

   “Let’s get this question answered once and for all,” said Addington, executive director of Klamath Water Users Association.

   Water for Life criticized the state’s involvement because, during the meetings, state officials talked with Klamath tribal representatives about their water rights, something   that must be done in a public setting.

   State officials said they are focused on resolving contests between the Tribes and other claimants, and that specific water rights are being dealt with in the Klamath Basin’s water adjudication process.

   Addington, Klamath County Commissioner John Elliott and Becky Hyde, an off-Project irrigator with the Upper Klamath Water Users Association, said the state is acting within its legal bounds and its participation in the water talks is necessary.

   “I don’t know how you can have a meaningful discussion about Oregon water law without the state being involved,” Elliott said.