Klamath Irrigation District 

Board Meeting Notes  

January 9, 2003

 

Agenda in Blue

Notes is Black

 

Annual meeting  

Caska re-elected as President

Kennedy re-elected as Vice-President

Solem re-elected as Sec/Tres

Solem re-elected as District Manager

 

Regular meeting  

Approval of Minutes of 12/12/02 meeting  

Approval of vouchers and warrants  

Old Business:  

1.  A-Canal Fish Screens, O&M agreement, power agreement  

A Canal:  Concrete walls and floor are complete for the fish screen except for the slab going in and the slab going out.  Piers for the trash rack are done as are the piers for the fish screen.  Piers for the flue from the fish screen to the bypass pipe are not poured but contractor is working on them.  Piers for the new head gates – one is poured and contractor is working on the rest.  A slab of concrete will extend across the top once the piers are done.  

The screens themselves are completed and BOR representative is at the factory checking for quality control before they are shipped out to Klamath.  

All the mechanical stuff is either here or on schedule to be shipped.  

Nothing unusual going on, seems to be right on schedule.  Pipe from the fish screen to the pump house has not been delivered yet.  

Contractor can’t seem to gain any time on the building of the pump house.  The fish pump is in Denver at a BOR lab going through tests before it is delivered to Klamath.  

Gravity by-pass to below Link River dam – blasting has started.  

9 weeks left for construction – and contractor is on schedule for a March 20, 2003 completion date.  

Contractor has not asked for any extensions – seems sure they’ll finish on time.  Only worry is if suppliers cause delay of components – screen or other mechanical’s are not up to spec.  

O&M agreement on new headgate and fish screen:  KID and BOR are still ironing out the details of the O&M agreement.   

Power agreement:  KID received a letter from PP&L about the installation of power to the new headgates and fish screen.  KID is looking at a totally new power contract.  

2.  Adjudication  

Appears the adjudication process is now kicking into high gear.  3 or 4 claims a week are going to the hearings officer.  State is not waiting for a court decision on the Adair III appeal.  

3.  BOR conservation grants  

KID has applied for 4 DOI/BOR Water Conservation grants; each totaling under $25,000.  New flow measuring devices, new canal linings, piping of A3F, and to purchase something called “PAM” for seepage control.  KID has got the applications in to the local BOR office only to find out from Hicks that the BOR hasn’t got any money for these grants.  Seems Congress hasn’t appropriated the money for this program yet.  

BOR might not get the money till summer or later – waiting for budget to pass.  Enterprise District has already started building something on assurance by BOR’s Hicks that he had the money.  

Dave is pushing to go ahead and buy the “PAM”, they need to stop some of the really bad seeps and leaks before irrigation season starts this year.  

4.  Public information request  

The Western Environmental Council filed a public information request of KID for information about how much acrolein KID has used during the past three years.  They’ve asked for all of KID’s records.  KID has sent back a legal form asking WEC for pre-payment of office time and copies before the records will be sent out.  The information is ready to be mailed, but KID hasn’t heard back from WEC.  

5.  OWRD position/Hatfield working group position  

Still looking for someone to fill the position that’s vacant.  Suggestion was made to have an article in the Herald and News about this position.  (since the meeting, an article has appeared in the local paper asking for volunteers for this position.)  

New Business:  

1.  Bike path  

KID has had to remove 200 feet of asphalt and part of the cyclone fence from the bike path along the A Canal, between Mazama High School and Hope Street ; to fix a bad seep.  In the past, the County has come in after the work is done by KID and replaces the fence and asphalt.  This time, the county is delaying because of a lack of money.  Solem and County Commissioner Switzer are playing phone tag.  

KID closes the bike path while working by placing “closed” signs on each street crossing.  Walkers and others using the path have been ignoring the “closed” signs and are walking around workers and equipment on the bike path; and KID is worried about liability.  County is supposed to be liable, Ganong is looking at the contract and will write a letter to the county.  

2.  Subdivision  

New subdivision going in off Homedale.  Developer asking for fences to be built on KID ditch banks  

3.  2003 operations  

          a.  2003 BO and Operations Plan; water bank  

Nothing new here on BO and Plan.  Waiting for BOR, USF&W, and NMFS.  

Water Bank:  BOR has questions on plan – met with BOR.  

          b.  Supply conditions; river flows  

Klamath Lake at a lower elevation now then the same time in 2002.  Need more snow pack.  

          c.  O&M Bill  

Bill signed, no money appropriated yet by Congress – not even in the 2003 budget.  Walden’s office say’s maybe in the 2004 budget.  

Looks like $4 million but the longer it takes to get the money appropriated, the harder it will be to trace the landowners in 2001.  Land in the basin changes hands, money will go to the landowners, not the leasers or renters who probably paid the O&M in 2001.  

Looks like BOR will be in charge of distributing the money once it’s appropriated instead of KID.  

4.  Lawsuit/legal  

          a.  Takings  

Nothing happening, still waiting for the Judge.  

          b.  PCFFA II  

This case being heard in Oakland , won’t go until later this year.  One potential outcome could be that NMFS will have to re-consult on the Coho BO.  

          c.  ONRC v. EPA NPDES permit  

EPA is going to fight this one.  ONRC is trying to “force” consulting with F&W.  EPA is saying “Bring it on!!”  Just waiting for Feb 18th – date for EPA to respond to the lawsuit.  

(Say South Suburban Sanitary needs to re-apply for their NPDES permit to discharge into the Klamath River .  They have never had to “consult with” the F&W in the past.  OR EPA has NEVER consulted with F&W on any NPDES permit.)  

And KID is in compliance with all Federal and State Clean Water Laws.  

          d.  ONRC v. BOR  

All herbicide applications on the Project including the Refuge lease lands – fungicides contain copper sulfate and the BOR should have been doing monitoring and hasn’t been.  Looks like the BOR is now trying to cover their tracks on this lawsuit.  

5.  foreclosures  

This is where I left the meeting.  

6.  Equipment:  forklift, boom truck, flexlease program  

7.  Maintenance  

8.  Employees  

9.  Insurance  

10.  BOR Mid-Pacific meeting February 22 – 24  

11.  KWUA power meeting January 9, 3:00 p.m.  

12.  SDAO conference Feb. 6 – 9  

13.  Exclusions  

14.  Other

 

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