Bureau seeks ideas for water bank

Published Nov. 24, 2003

By DYLAN DARLING

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is asking the public to submit ideas on how to come up with the 75,000 acre-feet of water it needs in the bank for next irrigation season.

The water bank is set up to provide more flows from Iron Gate Dam for threatened coho salmon on the Klamath River. The water bank is required by the 2002 biological opinion written by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

"We are looking for any type of ideas that will get us measurable water for downstream use," said Phil Graf, small projects manager at the Bureau's Klamath Basin Area Office.

A full range of ideas is being solicited by the Bureau, including land idling, use of well water, storage, new or unusual sources of water, or other techniques.

For 2004 the Bureau needs 75,000 acre-feet in the water bank, and the following year it needs 100,000 acre-feet, Graf said.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to meeting requirements for water from the biological opinion," he said.

The Bureau tested its pilot water bank this year by identifying 50,000 acre-feet of available water. The bank ended up producing 58,500 acre-feet through land idling and groundwater substitution. The Bureau spent $4.75 million on this year's water bank, paying farmers and ranchers $187.50 per acre idled and $75 per acre-foot substituted with groundwater.

The Bureau wants respondents to provide as much detail as possible about their ideas to help in the evaluation process.

The ideas need to be filed on a form provided by the Bureau. All ideas are due to the Bureau's Klamath Basin Area Office by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2003.

To get the form or for more information, call Gary Baker or Phil Graf at 883-6935, or e-mail Baker at gbaker@mp.usbr.gov or Graf at pgraf@mp.usbr.gov. The forms are also available on the area office's Web site.

On the Net www.usbr.gov/mp/kbao