Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis
Upholding rural Americans' rights to grow food,
own property, and caretake our wildlife and natural resources.
Our Klamath Basin
Water Crisis
Upholding rural Americans' rights to grow food,
own property, and caretake our wildlife and natural resources.
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Bureau of Reclamation illegal plans for
Klamath Project irrigators 2024, Klamath Irrigation District
Executive Director Gene Souza responds to inquiry posted to KBC 5/4/2024 With an extremely wet water year, we at KBC asked Klamath Irrigation District/KID Executive Director: "Gene Souza, will this be like a recent year when the Bureau illegally denied us farmers our stored irrigation water, bribed us $$$$$$$ to commit to fallowing our fields, then said if a district sued the Bureau, they would deny all the farmers in all the districts their promised fallow payment. ???? Is that what's happening this year again?"  Gene
Souza replied: (followed by KWUA newsletter regarding the
Bureau's mismanagement of Klamath irrigators' stored irrigation
water
"The language in
the Reclamation contracts for the Drought Response
Agency is very similar to the conditions that resulted
in conflict in 2022. The language in Reclamation's
Interim Operations Plan is unchanged from the conditions
that created conflict in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and now
in 2024. This condition deteriorates from the 2002-2017
era. This condition is not in line with the Klamath
Adjudication published in 2013 and the amended final
order issued in 2014.
So frankly, yes.
Reclamation does
not have the discretion to release stored water for
other than irrigation purposes between the months of
March through October (they CAN and do have release all
live flow...except for the fact that the Klamath Tribes
Klamath Adjudication water rights require specified lake
levels). So releasing stored water, for live flow,
without an irrigation water order between March and
October is in violation of the Klamath Adjudication
final order. The Oregon Courts stated this should stop;
however, the Oregon Supreme Court overturned that
decision. The Northern District of California court has
said the ESA is more powerful than the Constitutional
rights of Americans. This case is still pending appeal
in the Ninth Circuit court this summer.
Yes, Reclamation
again signaling they intend to deny farmers access to
stored water (real property) between the elevation of
4,136 and projected 4,139.5 (USBR datum) in 2024.
Yes, Reclamation
has indicated it will make $8.5 million or so available
for a demand reduction program in 2024. This is
approximately $4-6 Million short of being able to pay
mortgages, weed control, equipment loans, seed loss, etc
given the amount of water Reclamation has stated they
intend to release to farmers this year.
230,000
acre-feet of water for farmers in 2024 is:
At least 37,000
acre-feet less than what would have naturally evaporated
off of Lower Klamath Lake this year...
90,000 acre-feet
less than the anticipated 2024 agricultural demand
120,000
acre-feet less than the anticipated 2024 agricultural
and refuge demand.
320,000
acre-feet less than the adjudicated water right.
Enough to create
conflict between water-right holders.
Enough to
sustain conflict between water-right holders and groups
without a water right
Enough to
sustain my anger, distrust, and frustration with....a
list of groups and individuals connected to Bob
Anderson."
KWUA pushes improvement in Disappointing announcement on the 2024 irrigation deliveries Klamath Water Users Association
/ KWUA April 2024 WaterWorks Newsletter, On April 15, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) issued a 2024 Klamath Project Operations Plan that provides 230,000 acre-feet of water from Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River for irrigation in 2024. This amounts to 35% of the projected net inflow to Upper Klamath Lake during the 2024 water year. In a press release that same day, KWUA Executive Director Paul Simmons expressed frustration: “This winter, we have watched water be released to flush sediment in the Klamath River to mitigate impacts of dam removal. We have bent over backwards to put water on our national wildlife refuges. Within a few weeks, Upper Klamath Lake will be completely full for the first time in seven years, and the snowpack is in good shape for this time of year. Yet we are looking at the fifth worst allocation in the 120 years since the Klamath Project was authorized.” Regardless of these concerns, KWUA and member district managers continue to engage in constructive dialogue directed toward improving the outlook. “There is more water available that we should be able to access,” said KWUA Water Policy Director Moss Driscoll. “We are talking that through with tribes and agencies, constructively, carefully, and deliberately, but with a sense of urgency.” This year, downstream dam removal activities dictate the maximum amounts of water that can be released to the Klamath River without compromising removal activities or public safety. KWUA hopes that there may be an improved water announcement soon, with a prospect of doing still better than the still-conservative quantity that we may see. But farmers and ranchers, and their bankers, need to know what they have to work with. ==================================================== In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml |
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