Water stakeholders work toward September goal

by Ty Beaver, Herald and News 7/17/09

September is still the goal for finishing an agreement that would remove four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River.

Government officials, PacifiCorp and stakeholders involved in the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, of which dam removal is a key component, finished a round of meetings on the documents late Wednesday at the Running Y Resort, said Belinda Stewart, outreach and program coordinator for Klamath Water Users Association.

Stewart and Jillian Schoene, spokeswoman for Gov. Ted Kulongoski, said discussions focused on the language of the documents. They are optimistic the September deadline will be met.

Stewart said the parties involved in discussions weren’t in disagreement, just taking the time needed to ensure consistency throughout the documents.

“It’s just so time-consuming to go through it line by line,” she said.

The restoration agreement aims to resolves water disputes in the Klamath River Basin among farmers, tribes, fishermen and environmentalists.

State and federal government officials and representatives of Portland-based PacifiCorp signed a tentative agreement in November to move toward dam removal.