Tribes vote on water agreement  

January 21,2010

   Ballots were mailed to tribal members in early January, a few days before final negotiations were concluded. The ballots were counted Tuesday.       

   Tribal leaders said no changes that would impact voting were expected to the document.

   “We were pretty much under a tight deadline,” said tribal chairman Joe Kirk.

   Stakeholders who worked on the restoration agreement have until Feb. 9 to decide whether to support the document, though an actual signing date has yet to be determined. The document will then be presented to federal lawmakers for legislation.

   The document

   The 369-page water agreement is supposed to resolve disputes over water in the Klamath River watershed.

   It would cost an estimated $1 billion over 10 years to implement. Of that, about $400 million would be new spending.  

   The agreement promotes the removal of four Klamath River hydroelectric dams to re-establish fish passage.

   It also aims to provide reliable water and affordable power for irrigators and help the Klamath Tribes acquire a privately owned 90,000-acre property known as the Mazama Tree Farm.

   Jeff Mitchell, Klamath Tribes councilman, said he was impressed with the turnout in the tribal election, especially given the short turnaround time.

   Kirk said the Tribes are pleased to be moving forward with the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, but he acknowledged there is still work to do.

   “It’s going to be an ongoing process,” he said.