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Water still flowing
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| Steve Kandra, standing, a grain and hay farmer near Merrill and board member of the Klamath Irrigation District, reacts Wednesday to the news that water would be shut off to the Klamath Reclamation Project. The decision was reversed later in the day. |
White House intervened to halt water shutdown
published June 26, 2003
By DYLAN DARLING
Startled White House officials intervened with the U.S. Interior Department Wednesday to reverse a decision to shut off Klamath Reclamation Project water, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden said this morning.
As a re-sult, water is expected to continue flowing to farmers for the time being, although farmers and bureaucrats alike are nervous about the remainder of the summer.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials told farmers shortly before noon Wednesday they were ordering an immediate shutdown of the Klamath Project.
The announcement sent irrigation district managers into a flurry trying to figure out what to without water until Upper Klamath Lake met water levels required under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biological opinion written to protect suckers.
Hours later, however, the Bureau said it would not curtail water after all, and a letter would be sent out asking water users to conserve as much as they could.
Walden said this morning that White House officials told Interior Department officials to find another way to manage the situation.
The letter rolled out of fax machines in irrigation district offices around the Basin Wednesday night.
"This is to inform you that the Bureau of Reclamation is not requiring curtailment of deliveries at this time," the letter stated. "Reclamation is discussing the situation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to explore operation options in light of the biological needs of the Endangered Species Act listed suckers."
Jeff McCracken, spokesman for the Bureau's Mid-Pacific Region office, said the Bureau wants to find a way keep the Klamath Project operating for the remainder of the year with out violating the biological opinion.
"If we can get enough guidance from the Fish and Wildlife Service, we might be able to squeak through," he said.
Dan Keppen, executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association, said the Bureau is asking the fishery service if it could classify water conditions for half of June as "dry" and half as "below average." The move would ease water level requirements for Upper Klamath Lake.
While that could be a way to get through June, it wouldn't change the lake level requirement for the rest of the summer.
Keppen said Wednesday's drama could happen again if the biological opinion isn't changed.
"We are going to face this again next month, then in August and then in September," he said.
The Bureau's operations plan for the Klamath Project, which uses the biological opinion to guide the management of Upper Klamath Lake, outlines certain lake levels.
Keppen said he wants to see the year reclassified as "dry" again, and the biological opinion eventually rewritten. He said a similar water cutoff nearly happened last year, but was avoided after many private discussions between water users and the Bureau.
Dave Sabo, manager of the Bureau's Klamath Basin Area Office, said inflows to the lake have been decreasing steadily this month, and stood at 14 percent of normal the last time they were checked.
McCracken said the Bureau's water year classification is based on streamflow predictions by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the last ones came out in early June.
He said the Bureau could reclassify the water year type, but it would be hard to do so because the classification has to be based on a streamflow forecast.
Sabo was on a conference call this morning with Bureau and Department of Interior officials from Washington, D.C., and planned to have another one with water managers at 11 a.m.
Bob Gasser, co-owner of Basin Fertilizer, said the threat of a shut down and then its reversal are going to lead to a hectic irrigation season.
"This is going to cause a water problem the rest of the summer," he said.
The news that the water was going to be cut off put many people into a panic, and they drew as much water as they could to store it and prepare for being cut off, Gasser 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 June 26, 2003
By DYLAN DARLING
Startled White House officials intervened with the U.S. Interior Department Wednesday to reverse a decision to shut off Klamath Reclamation Project water, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden said this morning.
As a re-sult, water is expected to continue flowing to farmers for the time being, although farmers and bureaucrats alike are nervous about the remainder of the summer.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials told farmers shortly before noon Wednesday they were ordering an immediate shutdown of the Klamath Project.
The announcement sent irrigation district managers into a flurry trying to figure out what to without water until Upper Klamath Lake met water levels required under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biological opinion written to protect suckers.
Hours later, however, the Bureau said it would not curtail water after all, and a letter would be sent out asking water users to conserve as much as they could.
Walden said this morning that White House officials told Interior Department officials to find another way to manage the situation.
The letter rolled out of fax machines in irrigation district offices around the Basin Wednesday night.
"This is to inform you that the Bureau of Reclamation is not requiring curtailment of deliveries at this time," the letter stated. "Reclamation is discussing the situation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to explore operation options in light of the biological needs of the Endangered Species Act listed suckers."
Jeff McCracken, spokesman for the Bureau's Mid-Pacific Region office, said the Bureau wants to find a way keep the Klamath Project operating for the remainder of the year with out violating the biological opinion.
"If we can get enough guidance from the Fish and Wildlife Service, we might be able to squeak through," he said.
Dan Keppen, executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association, said the Bureau is asking the fishery service if it could classify water conditions for half of June as "dry" and half as "below average." The move would ease water level requirements for Upper Klamath Lake.
While that could be a way to get through June, it wouldn't change the lake level requirement for the rest of the summer.
Keppen said Wednesday's drama could happen again if the biological opinion isn't changed.
"We are going to face this again next month, then in August and then in September," he said.
The Bureau's operations plan for the Klamath Project, which uses the biological opinion to guide the management of Upper Klamath Lake, outlines certain lake levels.
Keppen said he wants to see the year reclassified as "dry" again, and the biological opinion eventually rewritten. He said a similar water cutoff nearly happened last year, but was avoided after many private discussions between water users and the Bureau.
Dave Sabo, manager of the Bureau's Klamath Basin Area Office, said inflows to the lake have been decreasing steadily this month, and stood at 14 percent of normal the last time they were checked.
McCracken said the Bureau's water year classification is based on streamflow predictions by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the last ones came out in early June.
He said the Bureau could reclassify the water year type, but it would be hard to do so because the classification has to be based on a streamflow forecast.
Sabo was on a conference call this morning with Bureau and Department of Interior officials from Washington, D.C., and planned to have another one with water managers at 11 a.m.
Bob Gasser, co-owner of Basin Fertilizer, said the threat of a shut down and then its reversal are going to lead to a hectic irrigation season.
"This is going to cause a water problem the rest of the summer," he said.
The news that the water was going to be cut off put many people into a panic, and they drew as much water as they could to store it and prepare for being cut off, Gasser 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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| Walden credits administration with reversal |
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