Klamath Restoration Agreements

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Historic Klamath Restoration Agreements Signed

After laying waste to the Klamath River for over 100 years, the Klamath dams’ days are officially numbered. On Thursday, February 18, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared that “its time to say hasta la vista to the Klamath dams”, and later adding, "I can see already the salmon are screaming, 'I'll be back.'"

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Schwarzenegger’s remarks came as dozens of political leaders from Tribal, federal, state and local governments gathered to sign the Klamath Restoration Agreements at the state capital in Salem, Oregon. The agreements will lead to the removal the lower four Klamath River dams, dramatically improve river flows, and invest a billion dollars in habitat restoration projects.

The two agreements –- the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement – were forged by a host of interests, including the Karuk, Yurok and Klamath Tribes, the states of Oregon and California, the US Department of Interior, as well as fishing and environmental groups.

jeff_mitchell_invocation_smallThe signing ceremony was hosted by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski in the rotunda of the capital building in Salem, OR. The event was kicked off by a prayer song by Klamath Tribal members and an invocation by Klamath Tribal councilman Jeff Mitchell.

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"You wanted a future without conflict and understood that doing nothing wasn't an option," Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski told the crowd. "You love the land. You love your communities. You want a future of hope and prosperity, and now you will have one."

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the agreements marked the end of one of the "most intractable water wars in the country," and the beginning of "the largest river restoration in the world."

"Let us build a legacy for the American people that can be emulated across the country and across the world," Salazar said.

Karuk Chairman Arch Super also spoke to the over 500 people crowded into the rotunda. Chairmen Super said, “It is always difficult for diverse people and cultures to co-exist and even more difficult to collaborate.  The fact that we are all here today serves as an example to diverse communities all over the world. We are proving that hard work and a commitment to collaboration can yield solutions that benefit everyone.”

Luther Horsley, president of the Klamath Water Users Association representing farmers, said when they started talking instead of fighting five years ago, they found out they had more in common with longtime enemies than they thought - a desire for "a future for our children and our children's children."

"The only way this is going to work is if it's a healthy watershed for all of us, going on for 50 years," he added.

The conflict over the dams stretches back over a hundred years when the federal government re-plumbed the Upper Basin to build a 220,000 acre farm project and allowed a private utility to build hydropower dams. Over time the fisheries declined, with some runs of salmon going extinct and others nearing extinction.

The conflict over the Klamath’s increasingly scarce water resources came to a head in 2001 when a drought forced federal water regulators to curtail irrigation diversions to protect endangered salmon and suckerfish.

In 2002 the drought continued but irrigation flows were restored. That year over 60,000 adult salmon died in shallow warm waters of the lower Klamath.

These events prompted a bitter fight between irrigators, Tribes, fishermen, and conservationists over how to best manage the river. During this fight, PacifiCorp’s license to operate the Klamath dams, which essentially cut the basin into halves, expired. Now, a new player, PacifiCorp, was dragged into the fray.

Then, about two years ago, all parties decided it was time to end the fighting and attempt to craft a settlement agreement to resolve the issues. The two agreements signed are the products of those talks.

Under terms of the agreements, irrigators will have to take less water from the river than they have historically, but they will be assured an affordable power rate for pumping irrigation water, and they resolve long standing water rights disputes with Tribes. In addition, in drought years, when their diversions will be cut further to protect ESA listed species, farmers can depend on federal assistance.

Dam removal is slated to begin in 2020. The gives PacifiCorp time to collect $200 million from their ratepayers slowly so that they will have little impact on customers’ power rates. In addition, the timeline allows the Department of Interior to complete necessary environmental reviews and develop a safe approach to removing the structures.

But the biggest hurdle remaining is passing federal legislation to authorize the plan. According to Karuk Natural Resources Director Leaf Hillman, “We still have a lot of work to do before this dream becomes a reality, but we now have a powerful coalition of Tribes, irrigators, fishermen, conservation groups and the company working together.”

The groups expect to introduce the federal legislation soon and urge citizens to write their congressmen asking for their support.

 

 

Did You Know?

Water Shut-off Highlights Need for Klamath Agreements

Karuk Tribe

P R E S S  R E L E A S E

For Immediate Release: March 18, 2010

For more information: Craig Tucker, Klamath Coordinator, Karuk Tribe, cell 916-207-8294

 

Drought Highlights Need for Klamath Agreements

Fish and Farms would be better off today if the Klamath Restoration Agreements where already in place

 Orleans, CA – Today Secretary of Interior Salazaar addressed the current drought situation in the Klamath Basin by breaking the hard news to irrigators that water deliveries will be reduced to 30-40% of average. Before agricultural deliveries can be made, the Bureau of Reclamation must first ensure that the water level in Upper Klamath Lake and the flows in the Klamath River meet minimal requirements to allow for the survival of ESA listed suckers and coho salmon.

 “It’s a difficult year for everyone. Even though irrigation deliveries are being dramatically cut, the water fish are getting only meets the minimal amount needed to avoid extinction. It’s barely enough water to keep the fishery on life support,” according to Leaf Hillman, Director of Karuk Natural Resources Department.

 The current situation is due in large part to a lack of precipitation, but if fisheries managers had the flexibility to manage the system in the manner prescribed by the recently signed Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, more water would be available for fish in the crucial spring months ahead and more water would be available for agriculture as well.

 The current management plan prescribes winter flows in the river without considering weather events in real time. In a dry winter like this one, the result is that flows are held steady even in the face of deteriorating hydrologic conditions. Under Real Time Management, flows would have been pared back to better reflect the weather conditions in real time. This approach would have allowed resource managers to provide more water to the river in the spring when fish need it most, left more water in Upper Klamath Lake for suckers, and more management flexibility in meeting irrigation needs.

 According to Hillman, “We basically ran up a water deficit this winter gambling that a late season storm would bail us out, but the rains never came. Implementation of the Klamath Restoration Agreement would provide a more sound approach to water management.”

 In addition, the Real Time Management Plan called for by the KBRA would restore some of the Klamath’s natural hydrograph. This means river flows would be greater during storm events and less during dry periods. Current management calls for flat line flows out of Iron Gate Dam which is bad for fish. “Flat line flows contribute to the algae and fish disease problems on the Klamath by creating a stable environment for algae and disease carrying parasites to flourish. If we mimicked the river’s natural flow pattern with normal flow variability, it would help these problems greatly,” according to Karuk Senior Fisheries Biologist Toz Soto.

 Tribes are offering to support disaster relief measures to help farm families through the season. “Hopefully, we can get the Klamath Restoration Agreements enacted by congress this year and avoid a crisis like this in the future. Until then, Tribal and fishing communities will need to support our neighbors in farming and ranching as they brace for a year of economic hardship,” said Hillman.

 

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Technical memo describing how KBRA management would have helped address this year’s drought