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Another Bad Water Year
Hits the Klamath Basin
Oregon Representative Greg Walden
Oregon Representative Greg Walden
March 29, 2010
Once again the people of the Klamath Basin face the prospect
of severe curtailment of water as a result of below normal snow pack,
precipitation and a court order that forced water to drain from Upper
Klamath Lake leaving the level low.
Farmers who normally would use 400,000 acre feet of water are slated to receive at best about 150,000 acre feet, which will require farmers to forego planting crops on over 50,000 acres of ground. The Bureau of Reclamation says they plan to get water to farmers by mid-May, more than a month-and-a-half later than normal, but this delay in providing irrigation water will adversely affect onions, strawberries, winter wheat, spring wheat, barley and oats, and pasture lands holding livestock that all require water throughout April.
If there’s one thing we all learned during the last water crisis it is the need to make sure every resource is made available to help those in need and to make sure that people have an opportunity to get the facts from the various agencies and individuals involved.
Tomorrow marks my 163rd trip to the Klamath Basin and I’ll host a meeting at the Klamath County Government Center with a wide range of federal agency officials to get an update on the water situation and programs that provide assistance to those in need. I’ve personally invited Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley to attend or have representatives from their staffs on hand to participate. We also expect to have representatives from the California congressional delegation attend. I understand the local access cable channel plans to record the discussion so that the community at large can get the latest information on the situation.
This meeting follows on the heels of one organized in Washington, D.C. last week by Sen. Merkley where senior agency officials answered questions and discussed the water situation in the basin and what emergency relief is available to those on the ground. We want to be certain the agencies understand the importance of working closely with the farmers and being flexible with their crop disaster programs.
Klamath County Commissioners have already declared an emergency and the Governor has likewise made a declaration. I’m confident that soon the federal agencies will make a similar finding, clearing the way for disaster assistance programs to kick in.
Senator Wyden and I spent more than half-an-hour Friday night at the Portland Airport after our flight from Washington, D.C. concluded discussing the situation and how we can team up on solutions.
The level of cooperation among the Tribes, irrigators, fishing organizations and government agencies is at a much higher level than in 2001 thanks to the very difficult negotiations that have taken place over the future of the Basin during the last several years. Agency officials have told me that removal of Chiloquin Dam, screening of the A-Canal and other efforts in the intervening years played a big role in freeing up what water is available this year.
While I’m in Klamath County Tuesday, I’ll also meet with Klamath Community College officials to discuss their expansion plans and the surge in student enrollment they’ve seen during the downturn in the economy. In an ever-changing work world, community colleges play an important role as students upgrade their skills or pursue new careers altogether. I’m looking forward to hearing about their new health care program and other advances since my last visit a few years ago.
I’ll also get a briefing from MCX, a company that builds wiring harnesses and cable and electro-mechanical assemblies for aerospace, industrial, instrument, military and telecommunications industries. I helped MCX break through bureaucratic barriers and delays and become HUBZone certified which opened the door for them to obtain additional contracts and increase local employment from 15 to 25.
This is an example of where the HUBZone worked to grow jobs in a community with high unemployment. We still need to reform the program, however, as we’ve seen in central Oregon where it takes years to update which counties are considered HUBZones. The result is that the designation can lag a sharp downturn in the local economy and actually work against businesses in areas that need immediate assistance.
Farmers who normally would use 400,000 acre feet of water are slated to receive at best about 150,000 acre feet, which will require farmers to forego planting crops on over 50,000 acres of ground. The Bureau of Reclamation says they plan to get water to farmers by mid-May, more than a month-and-a-half later than normal, but this delay in providing irrigation water will adversely affect onions, strawberries, winter wheat, spring wheat, barley and oats, and pasture lands holding livestock that all require water throughout April.
If there’s one thing we all learned during the last water crisis it is the need to make sure every resource is made available to help those in need and to make sure that people have an opportunity to get the facts from the various agencies and individuals involved.
Tomorrow marks my 163rd trip to the Klamath Basin and I’ll host a meeting at the Klamath County Government Center with a wide range of federal agency officials to get an update on the water situation and programs that provide assistance to those in need. I’ve personally invited Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley to attend or have representatives from their staffs on hand to participate. We also expect to have representatives from the California congressional delegation attend. I understand the local access cable channel plans to record the discussion so that the community at large can get the latest information on the situation.
This meeting follows on the heels of one organized in Washington, D.C. last week by Sen. Merkley where senior agency officials answered questions and discussed the water situation in the basin and what emergency relief is available to those on the ground. We want to be certain the agencies understand the importance of working closely with the farmers and being flexible with their crop disaster programs.
Klamath County Commissioners have already declared an emergency and the Governor has likewise made a declaration. I’m confident that soon the federal agencies will make a similar finding, clearing the way for disaster assistance programs to kick in.
Senator Wyden and I spent more than half-an-hour Friday night at the Portland Airport after our flight from Washington, D.C. concluded discussing the situation and how we can team up on solutions.
The level of cooperation among the Tribes, irrigators, fishing organizations and government agencies is at a much higher level than in 2001 thanks to the very difficult negotiations that have taken place over the future of the Basin during the last several years. Agency officials have told me that removal of Chiloquin Dam, screening of the A-Canal and other efforts in the intervening years played a big role in freeing up what water is available this year.
While I’m in Klamath County Tuesday, I’ll also meet with Klamath Community College officials to discuss their expansion plans and the surge in student enrollment they’ve seen during the downturn in the economy. In an ever-changing work world, community colleges play an important role as students upgrade their skills or pursue new careers altogether. I’m looking forward to hearing about their new health care program and other advances since my last visit a few years ago.
I’ll also get a briefing from MCX, a company that builds wiring harnesses and cable and electro-mechanical assemblies for aerospace, industrial, instrument, military and telecommunications industries. I helped MCX break through bureaucratic barriers and delays and become HUBZone certified which opened the door for them to obtain additional contracts and increase local employment from 15 to 25.
This is an example of where the HUBZone worked to grow jobs in a community with high unemployment. We still need to reform the program, however, as we’ve seen in central Oregon where it takes years to update which counties are considered HUBZones. The result is that the designation can lag a sharp downturn in the local economy and actually work against businesses in areas that need immediate assistance.
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NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml