We want water, not handouts

Testimony touches on impacts of 2001 shortage 

By TY BEAVER 

H&N Staff Writer

March 10, 2010 

   Klamath Basin residents told Gov. Ted Kulongoski that they need irrigation water, not government bailouts.

   The governor was in Klamath Falls Tuesday to address what could be the worst drought to hit the region in decades. He heard from invited speakers representing farming, tribal and agricultural business communities during a public meeting at the Klamath County Government Center.

   “The reason I’m here is to listen,” the governor said.

   Kulongoski recalled his first visit to the Basin in 2002, when residents didn’t care what he had to say because of the way the state handled the area’s water shutoff in 2001.  

   The governor said he doesn’t want to be in that position again, and pledged the approach to the Basin’s drought issues this time will be different. He said he would do whatever he could to mitigate impacts of the expected water shortage, including fast-tracking elements of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement. He said he would sign a drought declaration for the county, possibly as early as next week.

   Speakers told Kulongoski that any water shortage reminiscent of 2001 — when irrigation water was shut off — would be disastrous for those who survived that crisis, especially in light of the recent economic recession.

   Kulongoski agreed that quicker implementation of the restoration agreement is an appropriate course of action. Politics and money issues in Washington, D.C., likely would prevent full implementation, but portions of the document, such as drafting a drought plan, can be carried out now.

   “If we’d at least had this process in place in 2001, we’d have been in better shape,” Kulongoski said.

   He’s also holding weekly meetings with his staff and state department heads on the Basin’s water situation.

   Kulongoski said that while it is important the economic impacts of the drought be addressed, he’s also working to ensure state and federal agencies take a consistent approach to the Basin’s problems and a range of support is provided for those affected.

   “It’s not just about the crops,” he said. “It’s about your lives, your children’s lives and the community in the Basin.”