By Ryan Brown
Pioneer Press Staff Writer

Fort Jones, California

Page E1

June 13, 2007

 

Pioneer Press photo by Ryan Brown - This is the green at the fourth hole at the

Running Y Golf Course today.  A year ago it was completely under water.

KLAMATH FALLS - A year ago this week hundreds of acres of historic farmland were submerged by water when the Geary dike failed.

 

Water from Klamath Lake surged over the land located around the perimeter of the Running Y Ranch.

The water took over cow pastures, turning them into part of the lake, and then took out a couple holes of the golf course.

Apologies were made to the owner of the cow pastures and she eventually sold the land to the Running Y and the cows moved on.

This week, on the one-year anniversary of the sudden flood, the Running Y announced they will return the land to how it was before the dike broke.

Running Y Ranch development director Jon Barkee made the announcement.
The process of sucking millions of gallons of water back into Klamath Lake has already begun.

Running Y residents aren't too thrilled about the coming changes. They've gotten used to driving home and seeing a partial lake.

The Ranch House restaurant has even used the lake view in their advertising, but that will change in a few weeks.

Barkee expects the water to be gone within a few months, although no one is saying what will become of the fish and other animals that now live in the soon to be depleted "new" part of Klamath Lake.

The initial flood took out two and a half holes of the golf course, submerging one completely like some sort of underwater golf Atlantis.

The course is now fully operational.

There was also fear of considerable damage to Highway 140 West, as millions of dollars were spent to secure the road.

There are still ongoing discussions on who will foot the bill for some of those expenses.
Most likely the debate will rage on for some time.