This
10-foot bucket was installed in front of the Klamath County Government Center
in a show of support by thousands of people when the Klamath Basin went
through its water crisis in 2001.
One was the “Bucket Brigade” in May, when hundreds of people lined the
streets of Klamath Falls to pass 50 buckets of water hand to hand to dump
water from Lake Ewauna, near Veterans Park in the downtown area, to the A
Canal near Klamath Union High School in a technical violation of the
Endangered Species Act.
Some water eventually did flow through the A Canal later in the irrigation
season when the Bush White House got involved, but a lot of damage had been
done already .
Another type of bucket brigade followed, when backers of
the irrigators from many other states came to Klamath Falls to show support,
driving their vehicles through the downtown streets. A crowd estimated at
4,000 gathered between the Klamath County Courthouse and the County
Government Center across the street. They put a 10-foot-high bucket in place
in front of the Government Center on Aug. 21, 2001, where it remains.
The question is, should it?
There are some points to consider on both sides, and we’d like to have
your opinions.
While a remarkable symbol of the
conflict, over time the bucket takes on the aspect of curio, and it deserves
better. There’s not much explanation on it — just the words:
Klamath Bucket
Brigade Elko to Klamath NV UT ID OR
That doesn’t tell people much.
We don’t think that what happened in 2001 should ever be forgotten,
especially the impact of “bad science” that led to cutting off the water
without having a scientific basis for doing so.
The Basin needs to press for solutions to its water problems. It should put
deep water storage near the top of the list. It should never lose sight of
the fact that what happened once, can happen again.
But there are some other points to consider.
To a large degree, the 2001 conflict put tribal members and non-tribal
members on different sides, and both sides had solid moral or legal claims
to water. Is the 10-foot bucket sitting at the center of county government a
thumb in the eye of tribal members?
There are also non-tribal people in Klamath County who didn’t agree with
the irrigators’ stand, and the bucket doesn’t represent them.
People who worked for the federal government, and their families, became
targets of hostility when most of them were simply carrying out the law. What’s
the bucket say to them?
All people who live in Klamath County should be able to rely on an
even-handed administration of the laws. What perception is there when a
symbol such as the bucket remains the focal point of county government?
What about people new to the area, or just visiting? When they find out what
the bucket symbolizes, do they wonder if Klamath County is a place that
can’t move beyond past difficulties, especially when real solutions to the
water situation requires the cooperation of many parties?
As to what should happen to the bucket, we suspect the Klamath County Museum
could find a nice home for it among its other memorials of important events
in Klamath County history.
But what do you think? Let us know.
Letters to the editor should be addressed to the Herald and News, Box 788,
Klamath Falls, OR 97601. The fax number is 885-4456 and the E-mail address
is heraldandnews@ heraldandnews.com.
