By SARA HOTTMAN

H&N Staff Reporter

July 6, 2010

     State and federal officials will be in Klamath Falls Thursday to gather public input about an agreement that allocates water sources in the Klamath River Basin, and a related plan to remove four hydroelectric dams.

   The public meeting is part of the National Environmental Policy Act process that requires an environmental impact report before considering implementation of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement.

   It will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Klamath County Fairgrounds.

   “We recognize there are a number of different opinions in the Klamath Basin on this proposal,” said Matt Baun, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “If there are issues that you want the Secretary of Interior to consider before he makes decisions on dam removal and the related restoration plan, then this is the place to have your voice heard.”    

   The report will assess the impact of removing all or part of PacifiCorp’s four hydroelectric dams — Iron Gate, Copco 1, Copco 2, and J.C. Boyle — on the Klamath River as part of Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement.

   Rates, dams, fishes  

   The Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement is an agreement between PacifiCorp and the federal government. According to the agreement, the company would increase rates to voluntarily remove the dams. The agreement says the removals could improve passage for fish and restore natural resources in the Basin.

   The agreement specifically separates PacifiCorp from the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.

   The $1.5 billion agreement aims to establish sustainable water supplies and affordable power rates for irrigators; help the Klamath Tribes acquire a 92,000-acre parcel of private timberland called the Mazama Tree Farm; and fund habitat restoration and economic development throughout the region.

   State and federal agencies have identified issue categories relating to the agreements: engineering, fish and wildlife, real estate, cultural and historic resources, recreation, water quality, and economic issues.

   Information sought  

   At the meeting, there will be posters displaying the issues agencies already have identified within each category. People may use comment cards or computer banks to submit written input, or they can speak during a comment period following a 30-minute presentation about the issues.

   “We’re looking for information that would help us cover topics that are important to the public,” said Ellen Glover, public affairs specialist with the Bureau of Reclamation. “Nothing has been decided yet, so people should give input to state and federal agencies so they know what should be analyzed.”

   Public comments through email, fax, mail, or online form will be accepted until July 21.

   Utilizing comments  

   After the public comment period, state and federal officials will compile a report that “reflects every comment we’ve received,” Baun said. “For comments that are similar, we would note we heard that comment ‘x’ amount of times.”

   The public comment report, due in September, will be incorporated into the environmental analysis that will play a role in deciding how the KBRA and KHSA are implemented.

   “I would encourage people to come, read the website, and send e-mails,” Glover said. “Every little bit helps.”