Hands across the Basin

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Feds, states agree to work together for a Klamath water solution

By DYLAN DARLING

High-level federal officials and the governors of Oregon and California have signed an agreement to work toward a solution for the Klamath Basin water struggle.

"Today, we realize the importance of planning and coordinating to overcome problems in the Klamath Basin for the long term," Interior Secretary Gale Norton said Wednesday. "This gives us a basis for federal and state cooperation."

In the agreement are the U.S. departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the two states, with the two governors, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ted Kulongoski, behind the effort.

The agreement creates the Klamath River Watershed Coordination Group, which will be co-chaired by designated representatives from the two states.

Norton said the goal is to end the long legal struggle that poisons relationships among people in the Klamath Basin.

"The people of the Klamath Basin cherish the land and its natural beauty and desire to hand their way of life down to future generations," she said.

According to the agreement, members of the group will:

n Put a priority on their Basin activities, working with one another, tribes, governments, private groups and individuals, to resolve water problems - recovering endangered and threatened fishes, improving and protecting habitat and providing water for irrigation.

n Implement an aggressive, coordinated approach to allocate existing resources to the extent possible toward short-term opportunities that will improve conditions in the Basin, reducing the likelihood of year-to-year crises in the Basin.

n Develop and implement the Basin Conservation Implementation Plan, a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation program, which will meld a scientific oversight group, the interests in the Basin, and resource agencies, to identify the Basin's critical water and wildlife problems; then set priorities and goals in resolving the problems.

"It's a way, for the first time, of getting the whole Basin focused on all of the issues in some kind of cohesive manner," said Dave Sabo, manager of the Klamath Project.

He said the agreement makes it important for stakeholders and other interests in the Basin to participate in the implementation plan process if they want to try to get what they want. But, the agreement doesn't mean there is an immediate solution.

"It's going to take a long time, it took us 100 years to get into this problem in Klamath," Sabo said. "Hopefully, it won't take as long to get out of it."

A spokesman for irrigators said the agreement sets up a way for the various interests to work toward a solution.

"This is going to be the forum to solve this problem - this is where it is going to happen," said Dan Keppen, executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association.

He said fragmentation has been an impediment to progress, and the variety of forums, committees and planning meetings that interested parties can choose to be a part of, or not to be a part of, has widened some rifts instead of bringing the groups closer.

Keppen said the new agreement makes the Basin a priority for Oregon, California and the United States and makes the Bureau's implementation plan process a key part of finding solutions.

Allen Foreman, chairman of the Klamath Tribes, called it "a very important move."

He said all issues will need to be the table to make the implementation plan process work, including reducing demand for water. The tribes have claims on Basin water and aspirations for a new reservation.

The agreement expands on the last federal attempt to get agencies to work together on the Basin water issue. Norton was appointed chair of the cabinet-level Klamath River Basin Group by President Bush on March 1, 2002.

Bob Hunter, staff attorney for the conservation group WaterWatch, said the president's group was formed with much fanfare but then has done little to help solve problems in the Basin.

"We need more than just an announcement," he said. "We need to get focused on addressing the underlying problem." He said that problem is the overallocation of water - too many promises and not enough water to go around.

He also questioned the timing of the announcement, saying it could be a political move.

"I hope this is not just another statement of 'we are coming together' before the election and then we don't see anything," he said.

Glen Spain, northwest regional director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, said he is guardedly optimistic. He said fragmentation among federal and state agencies has been a curse to all involved in the water issue.

"Now the hard part is, what are they going to do?" he said. "This is a good step in the right direction, but there are many long steps to be taken before we have a change for the better for restoration in the Basin."

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