Cool spring means Feds may bump up Klamath Basin irrigation releases

Scott Learn, The Oregonian

July 2, 2010
 

Oregon's cool spring may allow an extra 35,000 acre-feet of withdrawals from Upper Klamath Lake, federal regulators said today, but would still leave farmers that depend on the lake with less than half their usual withdrawals.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the potential increase from 150,000 acre-feet to 185,000 acre-feet this morning. The actual amount of additional water available may change depending on weather conditions as the irrigation season progresses through summer and early fall, the Bureau of Reclamation said.

The cool spring helped, but hasn't erased the Klamath Basin's deficit, which prompted Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski to declare a drought emergency in March.

As of June 28, year-to-date precipitation in Klamath Falls totaled 4.93 inches compared to a normal tally of 6.33 inches, Oregon's Water Resources Department reports. Storage in Upper Klamath Lake stands at about 359,000 acre-feet compared to 487,000 acre-feet in an average year. And with a low winter snowpack, projections for inflow to the lake through September are about 60 percent of normal.