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Water bank should be full
But that does not guarantee irrigation canals will be full, too
Published March 25, 2003
By DYLAN DARLING
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expanding the pilot water bank program for the Klamath Project.
The Bureau has increased the amount of land to be idled this summer from 12,000 acres to 16,000 acres, said Gary Baker, special project officer in the Bureau's Klamath Basin Area Office. That will make about 39,000 acre-feet of project water available for uses other than irrigation.
The Bureau also plans to pay farmers to replace 25,000 acre-feet of project water with groundwater. The agency has received 240 applications from landowners for that program.
With the land idling and well water substitution, the Bureau hopes to make 60,000 acre-feet of water - up from 50,000 acre-feet planned earlier - available to protect endangered suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and threatened coho salmon in the Klamath River.
Whether there will still be enough water to go around remains to be seen, said Dave Sabo, Klamath Project manager.
"The water bank isn't to meet irrigation demand," he said.
Federal guidelines to protect fish requires the Bureau to set aside 50,000 acre-feet in the bank this year, 75,000 acre-feet next year and 100,000 acre-feet the year after that.
Sabo said the Bureau decided to increase the number of idle acres to ensure it will meet its requirements to protect endangered species.
"It doesn't hurt to have a little extra in the bank," he said.
Initially $4 million was budgeted to pay for the water bank, Sabo said. The bureau will pay $187.50 per acre idled and $75 per acre-foot to those who switch to groundwater. Paying for the additional 4,000 idle acres will cost $750,000, which the Bureau will cover by transferring money in the regional budget.
The deadline for the groundwater applications was last Friday, but Baker said the office staff hasn't had much time to review them because it has been focused on the idling program.
He said the Bureau is in the process of signing contracts with people who want to idle land, and by April 2 those contracts should be shored up.
The Bureau plans to decide which groundwater offers to accept by next week.
"I'm pretty sure we got more water than we need, so we won't be able to buy it all," Baker said.
Reporter Dylan Darling covers natural resources. He can be reached at 885-4471, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at ddarling@heraldandnews.com.
Published March 25, 2003
By DYLAN DARLING
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is expanding the pilot water bank program for the Klamath Project.
The Bureau has increased the amount of land to be idled this summer from 12,000 acres to 16,000 acres, said Gary Baker, special project officer in the Bureau's Klamath Basin Area Office. That will make about 39,000 acre-feet of project water available for uses other than irrigation.
The Bureau also plans to pay farmers to replace 25,000 acre-feet of project water with groundwater. The agency has received 240 applications from landowners for that program.
With the land idling and well water substitution, the Bureau hopes to make 60,000 acre-feet of water - up from 50,000 acre-feet planned earlier - available to protect endangered suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and threatened coho salmon in the Klamath River.
Whether there will still be enough water to go around remains to be seen, said Dave Sabo, Klamath Project manager.
"The water bank isn't to meet irrigation demand," he said.
Federal guidelines to protect fish requires the Bureau to set aside 50,000 acre-feet in the bank this year, 75,000 acre-feet next year and 100,000 acre-feet the year after that.
Sabo said the Bureau decided to increase the number of idle acres to ensure it will meet its requirements to protect endangered species.
"It doesn't hurt to have a little extra in the bank," he said.
Initially $4 million was budgeted to pay for the water bank, Sabo said. The bureau will pay $187.50 per acre idled and $75 per acre-foot to those who switch to groundwater. Paying for the additional 4,000 idle acres will cost $750,000, which the Bureau will cover by transferring money in the regional budget.
The deadline for the groundwater applications was last Friday, but Baker said the office staff hasn't had much time to review them because it has been focused on the idling program.
He said the Bureau is in the process of signing contracts with people who want to idle land, and by April 2 those contracts should be shored up.
The Bureau plans to decide which groundwater offers to accept by next week.
"I'm pretty sure we got more water than we need, so we won't be able to buy it all," Baker said.
Reporter Dylan Darling covers natural resources. He can be reached at 885-4471, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at ddarling@heraldandnews.com.
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