American Rivers • Earthjustice • Klamath Forest Alliance
Northcoast Environmental Center • Oregon Natural
Resources Council
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations
Riverhawks • WaterWatch of Oregon • The Wilderness
Society • Yurok Tribe
Klamath River "Most Endangered"
Long running crisis to reach crucial crossroads in 2003
Klamath River #2 on annual list released today –
www.americanrivers.org
Washington, DC—
American Rivers today named
the Klamath River as one of the nation's Most Endangered Rivers for 2003,
citing excessive irrigation diversions and hydropower dams that are
causing the ecological collapse of the river and its salmon fisheries. The
Klamath River, which was on the list in 2002, moves up to the #2 spot for
2003. The annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers report highlights acute
threats to the listed rivers rather than their chronic problems. The
groups warned that the next 12 months would be crucial in determining the
Klamath River’s long term future.
"
The Klamath River and its fisheries are the real
victims when too much irrigation demand chases too little water," said
Rebecca R. Wodder, president of American Rivers. "These chronic water
shortages in the river are compounded by the hydropower dams that block
many miles of salmon spawning habitat."
Coinciding with the "Most Endangered" announcement is the introduction
of important new congressional legislation aimed at solving the problems
of the Klamath Basin. The bill, introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson, who
represents the lower river, and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, was announced
at the Washington DC press conference on the report.
The highly publicized Klamath basin water crisis is entering it’s third
year, and the groups noted that several important decisions looming in the
next 12 months could intensify the conflict or lead to improvements. In
particular, a White House-appointed Klamath River Basin Federal Working
Group is expected to report on solutions for this troubled river basin and
Congress will take up legislation that proposes to bring water supply and
demand back into balance. Conservationists are concerned that the Bureau
of Reclamation is doing little to avoid a repeat of last year’s massive
die off of 33,000 salmon due to low river flows as it plans operations for
the coming year.
"Last year’s fish kill was devastating to the Yurok Tribe, yet
indications are that the Bureau of Reclamation will provide even less
water to sustain our fishery during the coming year," said Sue Masten,
Chairwoman of the Yurok Tribe.
"The only way we are going to solve this mess is by buying back water
rights and reducing the demand for water," said Wendell Wood of the Oregon
Natural Resources Council.
The conservation and commercial fishing groups called on the White
House and Congress to take steps towards buying out irrigation rights from
willing sellers in order to reduce the demand for this over-promised
resource. Conserved water should be left instream for the benefit of the
fish, wildlife, and communities that depend on the river. The
Thompson-Blumenauer legislation embraces these common-
Klamath River "Most Endangered," Page 2 of 2
sense actions, as well as providing
money for farmers to adopt better
water conservation practices and to assist down
river communities devastated by the Klamath fish kill.
"The reality of the Klamath Basin is that we have promised too much
water to too many interests, and even in a good year there simply isn’t
enough to go around," said Bob Hunter, a staff attorney with WaterWatch of
Oregon. "The Thompson-Blumenauer legislation is a fair and balanced plan
to share this scarce resource, and Congress should pass it."
Also on the horizon in the next twelve months, PacifiCorp will file its
formal application for a new 30-50 year operating license for its five-dam
hydropower complex on the river. These dams plug the river between the
river’s agricultural headwaters and its mouth, blocking salmon and
steelhead from reaching more than 100 miles of historic spawning habitat.
The groups called on PacifiCorp to commit to either installing fish
passage removal of the dams, and to implement other measures to improve
water quality in the river when it files its formal license application
this year.
"Behind every salmon and steelhead in the Klamath River is a Native
American family, or a family that depends on the commercial or
recreational fishing industries," said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast
Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. "Restoring this river will bring
jobs back to the coastal and river communities that have been decimated by
the decline of salmon."
Across the nation: Water waste and watershed destruction compound
drought
The situation on the Klamath River is particularly dire, but hardly
unique. In a special chapter of this year’s report, American Rivers
explored how the destructive combination of rising water demands and the
destruction of wetlands and other freshwater habitats threatens the nation
with a future where many rivers regularly run dry. To prevent this, the
group called for the establishment of an "ecological reserve" of protected
river flows. More specific recommendations included helping farmers
acquire modern irrigation equipment that require less water to grow more
crops and employing "smart growth" strategies to curb sprawl and protect
habitat from development.
"Saving rivers is not just about keeping pollution out of the water
anymore," Wodder said. "More and more we have to fight to keep water in
the river, at all."
About America’s Most Endangered Rivers
Each year, American Rivers requests nominations from thousands of river
groups, environmental organizations, outdoor clubs, and taxpayer watchdogs
for the America’s Most Endangered Rivers report. The report
highlights the rivers facing the most urgent and imminent threats. It is
not a list of the nation’s most chronically polluted rivers. The report
presents alternatives to proposal that would damage rivers, identifies
those who will make the crucial decisions, and points out opportunities
for the public to take action on behalf of each listed river.