KID leaves water users group
by Lacey Jarrell, Herald and News 11/17/15
The Klamath
Irrigation District
board of directors
voted Monday to
withdraw from the
Klamath Water Users
Association.
In a 3-1 vote, board
members Grant Knoll,
Ken Smith and Brent
Cheyne voted in
favor of withdrawing
from Water Users.
Board member Greg
Carleton voted
against withdrawal.
Board chairman Dave
Cacka was absent.
“I was disappointed
to hear the news of
KID’s board vote to
withdraw from (Water
Users),” Greg
Addington, Water
Users executive
director, said in a
statement. “I think
it is unfortunate
and shortsighted and
I don’t believe it
reflects the will of
most of the
agricultural
producers in the
district. That said,
the vote has
occurred and we
respect the process
the district went
through.”
Board member Brent
Cheyne said KID
irrigators pay Water
Users about $238,000
per year.
According to the
Water Users’
website, the
organization has
represented Klamath
Project farmers
since 1953, and has
lobbied for the
Klamath ag sector in
several arenas,
including water
quality and
quantity, government
relations and power
costs.
Before the vote, KID
Manager Mark
Stuntebeck pointed
out that much of the
work KWUA does
advocating for
farmers is “behind
the scenes.”
“They do a lot of
things politically
that you probably
don’t ever hear
about,” Stuntebeck
said.
KID Farmer John Bair
said he doesn’t
believe Water Users
represents his
interests.
“It seems to me that
some of the
political goals of
the Water Users
contradicts what we
are trying to do,”
Bair said.
Bair said the board
should be more
focused on where
money to replace the
C Canal Flume is
going to come from.
He thinks the money
being paid to Water
Users should instead
be dedicated to
paying for the
multi-million dollar
C Canal flume
replacement. The
flume delivers
irrigation water to
roughly 22,000
cropland acres in
the Klamath Project.
“That’s our No. 1
responsibility,”
Bair said.
In his statement,
Addington noted he
believes Water Users
has done more than
most people will
ever know to ensure
Project contractors,
including KID, have
water and other
resources to deal
with drought and
water shortages.
“Without those
efforts, the
shortages and
hardship to farmers
and ranchers in the
Klamath Project
would have likely
been catastrophic,”
he said. “I am
hopeful there will
be a path for KID
and others to
reconcile their
differences and move
forward with one
voice for the
irrigation
community.
Agricultural
interests in the
Basin are too
fractured as it is,
and this doesn’t
solve any problems,
it only exacerbates
them.”