First Klamath Settlement scoping meeting held in Copco 

“We’re still in the early stages, and we would like to hear from you about what your concerns are and what we should be including in this report,” Lynch said before opening the public comment session. “Keep in mind that this is a process that’s just beginning and that no decisions have been made regarding dam removal.”

Many Copco Lake residents voiced concern that the removal of the Klamath dams would result in the reduction of property values if Copco Lake were to become dry.

Copco resident Zenda Horner said she hopes that the agencies will provide “some type of mitigation” for Copco Lake ranchers and property owners “whose values have already plummeted due to everything that’s being said in the newspapers.”

Copco resident Lee Rickard also stated concerns over property values.

“My husband and I retired here, and we saved long and hard to build our home,” she said.

“Our home value has already dropped almost $300,000. Houses are standing empty for sale, and cabin rentals are down to a trickle.”

Richard Gierak spoke on the topic as well, stating concerns that if the dams are removed, the lake will turn into marshes and swamps, and a mosquito infestation will occur.

In addition to property values, residents also noted flood possibility as a major concern.

 

Several people told the agencies they would like to see studies conducted regarding whether flood levels upon dam removal would reach the low-lying homes along the lake.

Audience members also brought up the issue of fish. Lynch stated at the beginning of the meeting that the report will look at whether dam removal will advance restoration of the salmonid fisheries of the Klamath Basin.

“There is nothing wrong with the salmon industry,” Gierak said. “The salmon are just heading north – in 2007, 97 percent were caught in Alaska,” he added, citing numbers released by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Robert Davis also spoke about salmonid populations.

“I’d like to know what your definition of ‘restoration’ is,” Davis said. “Even before the dams were built the fish were pretty well wiped out from when the Indians were paid to provide fish to canneries.”

Davis said that he would like the agencies to study the impact of the tribal harvest held each year at the mouth of the Klamath and “let the people know the results.” He would also like the report to note whether the area directly above Copco would facilitate spawning if the dams are removed.

District I Supervisor Jim Cook listed several issues he would like to see addressed, including the environmental impact of changing 70,000 homes from non-carbon to carbon power, whether all fish passage concepts are being reviewed as alternatives, the impact of heavy equipment on county roads leading to Copco, the effects of sediment release from JC Boyle on down, the flood control issue, whether Shasta Indian sites will be protected, and the Klamath Tribal rights that he says are being carried out in Shasta Tribal territories.

He concluded by telling the crowd that he doesn’t believe the agencies when they say no decision has been made regarding dam removal.

“I was in the meeting when the Secretary of the Interior walked into the room and said, ‘We can’t let this fail,’” Cook said.

Yreka resident and Siskiyou County sheriff candidate Jon Lopey spoke about what he perceives as possible financial impacts of dam removal.

“If property values decrease, so will property tax proceeds, which impacts the general fund,” Lopey said. “This could result in cuts from the sheriff’s office and other county departments.”

Other items the audience said they would like the report to cover include:

• Whether dam removal will introduce diseases to ecosystems above the dams;
• Whether the loss of lake water will impact fire suppression, as fire crews currently scoop from the reservoir when fighting fires;
• Alternate factors that could be causing fish decline;
• Whether native bird species will be affected near the lake;
• Whether formerly-conducted Klamath water studies, allegedly funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, are biased or flawed;
• Should a flood occur, who will be responsible if someone is killed or a home is lost;
• Possible impacts on fish species native to the Copco area such as trout, bass, catfish and perch;
• What will happen if the dams are removed and salmonid populations are not restored; and
• Whether Shasta Tribe burial grounds and pre-historic village sites would be disturbed should flooding occur.

Five other public scoping meetings are planned in Northern California and Southern Oregon: Thursday, July 8 in Klamath Falls, Ore.; Friday, July 9 in Chiloquin, Ore.; Tuesday, July 13 in Brookings, Ore.; Wednesday, July 14 in Arcata, Calif.; and Thursday, July 15 in Orleans, Calif. These meetings will all be held from 6-9 p.m.

Written comments received before July 21 will be included in the public scoping report, which will include the key themes brought up at the meetings and the number of times each concern was mentioned. This report will become a public document. Comments received after July 21 will still be considered for the review, but will not be included in the report.

 

Written comments may be submitted online at KlamathRestoration.gov, by fax at (916) 978-5055 or by mailing or e-mailing the comment to one of the following addresses: Ms. Tanya Sommer, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-152, Sacramento, CA 95825 (KlamathSD@usbr.gov); or Ms. Caitlin Bean, CA Department of Fish and Game, 601 Locust St., Redding, CA 96001 (KSDcomments@dfg.ca.gov).