Reclamation extends interim operations plan for Klamath Project, Capital Press 10/21/22. "Both the Klamath Water Users Association and Klamath Tribes urged Reclamation to discard the plan after it was set to expire Sept. 30...Simmons, with the KWUA, previously said the changes authorized under the interim operations plan were “far above any level ever claimed to be necessary” for suckers, while cutting off access to another 45,000 acre-feet of water for irrigation."

Klamath Drainage District Press Release: Reclamation files surprise complaint against KDD, District disappointed in government's conduct July 11. 2022. "Scott White, General Manager for the district notes that this is not a contract issue at all and points to the district’s existing water rights of record. 'The Bureau has literally acknowledged and affirmed KDD’s water rights in the past and encouraged us to exercise them when there is no Project Supply available,'said White. 'It’s incredible that they claim we are in breach of contract for doing the very thing they asked of us for years.' '...The district is also bound by contract to deliver water to water users outside of the district, but the complaint makes no mention of the district currently facilitating the conveyance of water to the refuge under state law. 'The Bureau is out of its lane in picking and choosing which law to recognize,' states Bill Walker, President of the district. 'The Bureau supports state law when it means getting water to their land but does not when it means getting water to family farmers and ranchers...'"
UNITED STATES of America VS Klamath Drainage District, COMPLAINT with Department of Justice attorneys against the small Klamath Drainage District 7/5/22.

Managing Water,  Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton visits Klamath Basin, Capital Press 7/5/22. "...Asked whether she sees the Klamath Project as sustainable with its current model and scale, Touton said, “I don’t want to speculate on that...”

< Headgates of A Canal at Klamath Irrigation District
Irrigators, tribes object to extending Klamath Project interim operations plan, Capital Press 6/30/22.FOLLOWED BY full letter from Klamath Water Users Association to BOR "In a letter sent June 17 to Ernest Conant, Reclamation’s regional director, the Klamath Water Users Association outlined deficiencies in the interim operations plan, claiming “it is based on erroneous data, flawed hydrologic assumptions and a proposed action that does not comport with current operations...The three years of attempted operation under the (plan) has been a period of chaotic, ad hoc decision-making,” the letter states. “KWUA has, for well over a year, emphasized the lack of any coherent regulatory construct for the IOP. That point is further underscored by the fact that the IOP has required Reclamation to do things that literally are impossible.”

Klamath Tribes Press Release: Klamath Tribes respond to BOR water allocations 4/12/22. "Today, we see in the Klamath Basin the consequences of nearly 120 years of ecosystem degradation at the hands of the settler society. They have drained hundreds of thousands of acres of open water and wetlands, mowed down the largest pine forests in the west, mined the groundwater to the point that wells now go dry where marshes and lakes formerly prevailed, straightened whole river systems and striven to eradicate beavers that once engineered complex waterways, allowed their cattle to destroy riparian zones and defecate in icy cold springs, and dammed the mighty Klamath River five times."
KBC NOTE: In 2022 Klamath farmers got none of their stored water. The government and tribes mandated higher than historical water levels in Klamath Lake where our water is stored, dewatering our farms and wildlife refuges, "open water and wetlands" which supported 433 species of wildlife here; the biological opinion deals with 3. According to USFWS, these refuges had water for more than 10,000 years, before 2022. With all of our stored surface water denied to farmers, many of our wells did go dry. Because of mandates by government agencies and tribes to not log or thin our forests, millions of acres burned the past summers. The Tribes are presently suing the government to deny us farmers a meager 50,000 acre feet of water this summer also, while mandating historically high levels for Klamath Lake, and also Klamath River to be sent to the ocean. They want to rip out the hydroelectric dams on the river which serve 70,000 families with power. Tribal members have told us they like electricity. Also, most rivers have been fenced to prevent cattle from entering the rivers.

Reclamation to release 50,000 acre-feet of water to Klamath Project; provide $20M in drought response, H&N 4/12/22. “We have 170,000 acres that could be irrigated this year and we’re ready to get to work,” KWUA President Ben DuVal...On a single acre, we can produce over 50,000 pounds of potatoes, or 6,000 pounds of wheat. This year, most of that land will not produce any food because the government is denying water for irrigation. We’ll just be trying to keep the weeds and dust under control.” "
“While reclamation has provided us some opportunities to work with them, the farmers and ranchers of this basin and our community all depend on agriculture. About one in three jobs in the basin can be tied to agriculture,” (Klamath Irrigation District Manager) Gene Souza said. “The loss is going to be felt in restaurants and grocery stores and potentially in food market across the nation.  It’s just a shame we’ve got 350,000 acre-feet of (our stored) water in Upper Klamath and we’re only (getting) a small piece.”

Bureau of Reclamation Annual Operations Plan 2022 for the Klamath Reclamation Project, April 2022.

BOR PRESS RELEASE: Reclamation opens Klamath Project irrigation season with limited water supply allocation amid extreme drought, 4/11/22

OWRD/Oregon Water Resources Department counter claim against U.S. Regarding Bureau of Reclamation releasing legally-stored stored Klamath Project irrigation water into ocean 4/7/22. "...Section 8 of the Reclamation Act of 1902, which authorizes Reclamation to operate the Klamath Project in Southern Oregon and Northern California, expressly requires Reclamation to comply with state water law in those operations..." KBC NOTE: FYI, 2 of the Plaintiffs are PCFFA / Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen and IFFR / Institute for Fisheries Resources. According to PCFFA, "Rather than seek out yet another unrelated non-profit to funnel the money through, PCFFA created a new organization (IFFR)..."  

Klamath irrigators vote for water deliveries even if it puts federal drought funding at risk, OPB 4/5/22. "Out of 377 votes, 319 KID members voted ‘yes’ to the ballot question: “Pursuant to both our federal contract obligations and state water rights, do you want the district to attempt to deliver you water knowing it will likely complicate federal drought funding?”
(KID manager Gene Souza) says that drought funding makes up a fraction of what would be generated by farmers and which would, in turn, stimulate the local economy..."

< Eleanor Bolesta, former WWII Wave, Tulelake Homesteader

75 years ago, March 13, 1947 - War Veterans Win Tulelake Homesteads 
"Eighty-five veterans of the last war, some still wearing a jacket, shirt or a pair of trousers issued to them while in the service, stepped to the platform in the Bureau of Reclamation hall this morning, laid a finger on a big map and as winners in the big Tulelake homestead drawing, became land owners."  H&N 3/13/22

Reclamation officials talk dams, Klamath Basin, hydropower, drought. What's up with water in the West? Q&A with western water officials, Capital Press 3/4/22.
 <  Ernest Conant, Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director
Capital Press: "What’s the game plan for the Klamath Basin? I’m looking for specific ideas or plans that are under consideration to alleviate the crisis there."   "...Ernest Conant, Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director, "...We don’t have any specific plans right now. We’re looking at a lot of different options to take a more strategic long-term approach. It’s just a very difficult situation because we have all these competing interests over endangered species, the interests of various tribes and farmers....I can’t be much more specific at this point....The bipartisan infrastructure law has $162 million that goes to projects in the Klamath Basin the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be handling. There are a number of things that could be done to improve the fishery, for example, thereby taking off some pressure...There’s a process being set up for people to apply for the bipartisan infrastructure money, so different districts in Klamath could apply for conservation or infrastructure grants like you’re referring to.I’m sorry I can’t give you more specifics about grand plans. There is no grand plan at this point..."

< 2/28/22 For Reclamations's in-depth monthly updates visit http://usbr.gov/mp/kbao

A dry January foreshadows another tough year for the Klamath Basin, News10 1/24/22. "Gene Souza, Klamath Irrigation District Manager, says they’re anticipating an April water delivery to its users at the latest. He says with how low the reservoirs are right now, he’d need to pull water from the lake starting in February and that request has already been denied by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR)...“The water that we take out to grow crops to sustain our families and communities, that water comes down here [Tule Lake] and benefits birds, fish, and other wildlife, bald eagle, wolves, coyotes..." Souza’s biggest frustration is that the water they use for their irrigation district all ends up back in the Klamath River anyways. He says whatever water runs off of farms and ranches and through the county all runs into the wildlife refuges, at which point excess water is pumped out to the river..."

Judge refuses to declare Oregon state forest logging 'takes' coho salmon, Capital Press 12/24/21. "A federal judge has refused to declare that logging activities in Oregon’s Clatsop and Tillamook state forests have unlawfully harmed threatened coho salmon..."

Off-season irrigation could pause as Reclamation 'pays back' PacifiCorp reservoirs, H&N 12/4/22. "A coalition of conservation groups, including the California Waterfowl Association, Ducks Unlimited, the Klamath Basin Audubon Society and Bird Ally X, wrote to Reclamation in October asking them to continue the "well-established practice" of releasing the lake's surplus water for fall migration and irrigation purposes. Reclamation declined to do so, citing concerns about meeting higher minimum lake elevations come spring, especially following two extremely dry years. Klamath Basin Refuge Complex Supervisory Biologist John Vradenburg told the Herald and News last month that, while the lack of water on Lower Klamath and Tule Lake refuges this summer may have helped stave off an avian botulism outbreak, not having winter water to produce food and habitat for birds migrating north in the spring is a much more serious problem. Millions of birds already skipped the Klamath Basin, once the single most important wetland complex on the Pacific Flyway, for the 2021 fall migration, and their wintering grounds in the Central Valley are producing less food due to drought. When they return in the spring, they'll be extra hungry and in need of a rest stop."

Beating botulism (in Tule Lake refuge), H&N 11/16/21. "Tule Lake Sump 1A is mostly dry after most of its water was drained to Sump 1B to try and prevent the spread of botulism..." (KBC NOTE: because The Bureau of Reclamation denied water to the farms and refuges) Eventually, refuge managers will try to refill Sump 1A and create a better environment for waterfowl."

KILLING SUCKERS: The following comment was on our Klamath Basin Crisis Facebook page: November 2022 - From Matt Brimmer 4 days ago in a discussion in this fb group regarding suckers, hatchery, and draining Sump 1A : "Michael this has been attempted on a couple different instances since 2001 and has failed. I sat in on one of the original meetings regarding a Sucker Hatchery. It was set up on Lower Klamath Wildlife refuge towards the Sterns Unit. It was working well until the Birds found it and ate most of them! I also had the opportunity to be part of the Team that assisted with Sucker fish capture on the Caldona (Running Y) marsh when the dike broke. This made for what the ESA and the Tribes called the perfect Sucker Habitat. However, I believe we only captured around 30-40 Suckers. Then let’s fast forward to this year when TID with the assistance of Ducks Unlimited and the Tulelake Basin Farmers drained Sump 1A (again supposed perfect sucker habitat). Multiple Large Adult Breeding suckers were trapped however were not allowed to be moved from 1A to Klamath Lake. They were moved to Sump 1B where most were found floating a few weeks later."

Reclamation announces $2.7 million for Klamath River coho salmon, Bureau of Reclamation News Release 11/15/21. "Project types that will be given the highest priority include riparian and instream habitat restoration and improvements, barrier modification and fish passage improvement, fish screens, and water conservation. Program efforts will be focused on the mainstem of the Klamath River and tributaries between Klamath River mile 190 to the Klamath River estuary."
Reclamation nets $2.7 million to help Klamath River coho, H&N 11/15/21

Reclamation adds $5 million to Klamath Project drought relief, H&N 10/5/21. "...roughly $35 million is headed to the basin to help farmers through a devastating water year..."

Reclamation DENIES Klamath Irrigators their stored water despite exceeding the minimum required water for fish,  violating laws, rights, contracts, and integrity! Letter from Bureau of Reclamation to Klamath Water Users Association/KWUA 9/27/21

Letter from Klamath Irrigation District to Bureau of Reclamation 5/14/21.
* The 1954 Contract Does Not Grant Reclamation Total Discretion to Curtail Diversions
* Reclamation reinstallation of bulkheads violates KID’s 1954 contract
* Section 9 of ESA does not authorize Reclamation to preemptively curtail KID diversions
* Reclamation is liable for all damages directly or indirectly resulting from its resumption of operational control of the A-Canal
* KID is reassuming operational control and removing bulkheads

BOR letter to Klamath Irrigation District: No Water for Klamath Irrigators in 2021 5/12/21

Extreme drought conditions force closure of Klamath Project’s “A” Canal, Bureau of Reclamation News Release KBC 5/12/21. "Klamath Project’s “A” Canal will remain closed for the 2021 irrigation season."

Judge refuses to restrict water releases from Upper Klamath Lake, Capital Press 5/6/21

KDD diversion continues, Reclamation could release more lake water in response, H&N, 4/30/21. “In the past, Reclamation has directed KDD to divert under this state permit when project water isn’t available...On March 30, OWRD declared that stored water in Upper Klamath Lake was not flowing through Link River Dam and that all water available in the river was live flow. Desmond said KDD took that as permission to be able to make diversions in April, and that other private water users along the river in Oregon have similar state permits that allowed them to do the same...the Bureau plans to reduce Upper Klamath Lake levels to make up for KDD’s diversion..."

KWUA seeks further legal clarification on Klamath Project operations, H&N 4/24/21. “As Reclamation admits, it is not adhering to the interim plan,” the motion read. “Non-adherence to the interim plan translates to the severe detriment of KWUA’s members and farm and ranch families served by the Klamath Project..." "KWUA also argued that there are pressing legal issues concerning project operations that must go before a judge, particularly in light of court cases in Oregon that have found that Reclamation does not have the authority to satisfy ESA requirements (whether through sending water downriver or keeping it in Upper Klamath Lake) at the expense of Project irrigators..."

Klamath Water Users Association brings legal challenge to Klamath Project operations, KWUA News Release 4/22/21. "Klamath Water Users Association filed court papers to re-open a lawsuit and seek a ruling that the Bureau of Reclamation’s current approach to regulating water deliveries for the Klamath Project is illegal. KWUA filed a motion in federal court asking the court to lift a stay of existing litigation and then rule on critical legal issues that affect irrigation water availability...The Yurok Tribe and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) sued the Bureau of Reclamation and National Marine Fisheries Service for alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) related to Project operations that had been adopted to control Project operations from 2019-2024...."

KLAMATH LAKE APRIL 22, 2021
The Bureau of Reclamation is not allowing farmers to irrigate with their stored water in Klamath Lake until the water rises a few inches to water the suckers.

Young Klamath Basin aspiring agriculturist Colten Wright regarding the Bureau of Reclamation's decision to shut down more than 90% of our deeded water allocation 4/21/2021.

Klamath farmers are frustrated, up against a wall,  Siskiyou Daily News: Liz Writes Life: 4/20/21. Photo: Upper Klamath Lake is nearly to the brim. "the federal Bureau of Reclamation announced that the Klamath Project will receive about six percent of its needed irrigation water for more than 220,000 acres in the Project...That hurts a lot of farmers and also means six wildlife refuges will lose water that gives life to 433 species, including ESA-listed bald eagles. Also, the Klamath Bureau of Reclamation announced it would not allow any irrigation until after May 15..." 2021.

KDD begins water deliveries, Reclamation orders it to cease, H&N 4/17/21. "According to a news release from KDD, the district acquired the permit from the Oregon Water Resources Department in 1977 for the use of live flow from the Klamath River for irrigation."  Bureau of Reclamation: “If KDD does not cease all diversions at the Ady and North canals as soon operationally feasible, in due course (1) Reclamation staff will access Reclamation-owned property to close the gates to the Ady Canal, (2) water users within the KDD boundary may not be eligible for Drought Relief Act funds, and (3) the United States may take other legal action against KDD and its members.”

4/15/21 - Today the Bureau of Reclamation released their verdict of 32,000 acre feet of irrigation water for the entire Klamath Reclamation Project to be available in June. At this public meeting KWUA President Ben DuVal had to break the devastating news to the community because the Bureau of Reclamation refused to attend. Congressman LaMalfa’s office attended as well as elected officials from Modoc and Siskiyou Counties. There might be a possibility of another small amount of water this fall, if the tribal lawsuits fail to shut us down completely. VIDEO KWUA 2021 Operations Meeting, April 15, 2021. https://kwua.org/kwua-2021-operations-meeting/

Klamath Water Users Association statement regarding DOI withdrawal of updated Klamath Project legal guidance, KWUA Press Release 4/8/21. "(Previous legal guidance: "...the only legally authorized use of water stored in Upper Klamath Lake is irrigation.." )

Bureau of Reclamation's threat to KID / Klamath Irrigation District 4/2/2021. Letter from Bureau of Reclamation to Klamath Irrigation District attorney Nathan Rietmann, threatening KID with federal court and "potential suspension or exclusion from the drought relief funding program this year..." if KID so much as takes their stored irrigation water from Klamath Lake, "even to charge the canals."

Klamath Project Water Availability from Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River, Bureau of Reclamation 4/2/21. "Reclamation now anticipates this delay to be at least through May 1, 2021, and likely further in time..."

Klamath Irrigation District v. US Bureau of Reclamation, regarding Waters of the Klamath River Basin, Emergency Motion for Preliminary Injunction 3/29/21. "...Reclamation sometimes says it is using stored water in UKL to fulfill trust obligations it has to the Hoopa Valley and Yurok Tribes, both of which are located in California. But Reclamation’s trust obligations to the tribes in California afford no water rights to use stored water in UKL, as neither Tribe (nor Reclamation on their behalf) has ever claimed a water right in UKL in the Klamath Adjudication..."
 

Klamath Project Water is currently unavailable from Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River, Bureau Of Reclamation Notice to Project irrigators, 3/12/21. "This letter is to notify you that water is currently unavailable from Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) and the Klamath River for irrigation purposes within the Klamath Project (Project) for the reasons further explained below. Accordingly, your district is hereby directed to delay diversions of water from UKL and the Klamath River until further notice..."

Feds plan to update guidance for Klamath Project operations, H&N, 1/27/2021. "A 41-page report produced by the Bureau’s Klamath Basin Area Office argued that the agency does not have as much authority to protect species listed under the Endangered Species Act as it is currently exercising."

USFWS acts to remove land from critical habitat for owl, CFBF Ag Alert 1/20/21. "...The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said last week it would revise the designation of critical habitat for the owl, to exclude nearly 3.5 million acres of land in California, Oregon and Washington...The action leaves more than 6.1 million acres of land in the three states designated as critical habitat for the owl, which has been protected under the ESA as a threatened species since 1990."

Bureau of Reclamation NEWS RELEASE - Reclamation releases water reliability in the West report 1/19/21

KWUA NEWS RELEASE: Bureau of Reclamation updates guidance for Klamath Project Operations under Endangered Species Act and water law 1/19/2021. “...Reclamation has found that it still has duties for species protection, but those duties do not include imposing harmful shortages on irrigation as we have seen in the past...”
KID wins again, Oregon Court of Appeals, KID vs OWRD 1/14/2021. OWRD's/Oregon Water Resources Department's motion for stay is now "moot". Judge Bennett's order, that OWRD must not allow stored water in Klamath Lake reserved for irrigation to be illegally used or dumped into the ocean, is not currently appealable.

***ANOTHER WIN FOR KID / KLAMATH IRRIGATION DISTRICT, KID vs OWRD:
Judge Bennett Order on Motion for Reconciliation 1/7/20. DENIED. Judge Bennett's ORDER: "Respondents' (OWRD) Motion restates their misapprehension of this courts Orders in 20CV17922 and 20CV15606. Respondents' accepted exclusive jurisdiction over the UKL pursuant to ORS 540.210. Respondents are required by that statute to divide and distribute the water therefrom in accordance with the respective and relative rights of the various users. Despite this statutory obligation, Respondents have continued to allow the Bureau of Reclamation to take Stored Water without determining the Bureau's right to do so. The Respondents continue to violate the Oregon Water Rights Act by allowing the Bureau to take and use Stored Water in the UKL without determining it is entitled to do so as required by ORS 540.210. Respondents must stop the release until a determination is made pursuant to ORS 540.740. Nothing in the Court's Order dictates how the Respondents make the determination or what criteria is used. TPC, LLC v. OWRD, 308 Or.App. 177 is not analogous or factually similar to this case. MAKE A DETERMINATION"
 

Letter from Department of Interior  Solicitors to Daniel H. Jorjani, Solicitor, regarding Bureau of Reclamations Klamath Basin water management 10/28/2020. "...Reclamation’s discretion on how the Project is operated and whether certain consequences to listed species and their habitat are effects of the Project operations is almost certainly constrained by various contracts with Klamath Project water users..."
 

Klamath Irrigation District Manager responds to the question, "How much water was illegally taken from Project irrigators and sent to the ocean this year?" 9/15/2020

Reclamation announces more water for Klamath Project, refuges, H&N 9/6/2020

Reclamation invests in new science updates for Klamath Project, BOR News Release 7/29/2020.

Interior Secretary Bernhardt came to Klamath Falls to help find water solutions, Liz Bowen Column in Siskiyou Daily News, 7/15/2020

Interior Secretary Bernhardt and Reclamation Commissioner Burman travel to Klamath Basin at LaMalfa’s Request, Congressman Doug LaMalfa News Release 7/12/2020. "After Congressman LaMalfa continuously engaged with the Trump Administration, water allocations were restored to the April commitment, and the tens of thousands of acres of already planted crops would be able to survive the growing season. Congressman LaMalfa and Congressman Greg Walden (OR-02) extended the invitation to Secretary Bernhardt and Commissioner Burman to visit the Basin for today’s events..."

Interior officials tour Klamath Basin, promise solutions, Western Farm Press 7/10/2020. "U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman promised to seek a resolution to the decades-long water conflicts in the basin after meeting with growers, local water officials and other affected parties.

< From left to right: Congressman Greg Walden, BOR Brenda Burman, Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt, and Congressman Doug LaMalfa speak Thursday on a field in Midland
Secretary of Interior Bernhardt tours Midland field of crosses, H&N 7/10/2020. "Gasser said Bernhardt is responsible for returning the Project to receive 140,000 acre feet of irrigation water. 'He saved this community … even though there are still a lot of farmers out there who have no water. There’s a lot of hurt still going on, but if he wouldn’t have done what he did, it really would’ve been horrific because a lot of investments were made planning on the (140,000 acre feet) … millions of dollars would’ve been lost and a lot of growers would’ve been lost.' "

! Klamath Irrigation District requests a temporary restraining order against OWRD, Director Byler and Watermaster Watson, filed 6/12/2020. Bureau Of Reclamation, with an agreement with PacifiCorp, is presently diverting an extreme amount Klamath Irrigators' stored water into Klamath River, and Upper Klamath Lake elevation is rapidly lowering: "...enough to supply one acre foot of water to at least the 10,342 acres of land in Klamath Basin Improvement District, 3,911 acres of land in Shasta View Irrigation District, 2,981 acres of land within Enterprise Irrigation, and 904 acres of land in Pine Grove Irrigation District, which are shut-off and not receiving any water from UKL reservoir..."

BOR PRESS RELEASE: Reclamation secures 2020 water supply for Klamath Project, 6/9/2020. "...Reclamation will deliver approximately 140,000 acre-feet to the Klamath Project from Upper Klamath Lake in 2020..."
 

Klamath Irrigation District and Shasta View Irrigation District vs Bureau of Reclamation, Judge Clark decision, filed May 15, 2020.

Water crisis looming on Klamath Project, by Lyle Ahrens, KOBI KOTI TV 5/13/2020. KID Manager Gene Souza: “Based on the information that I have from Reclamation, we could be seeing a cutoff for Klamath Irrigation District as soon as June 15th...Hundreds of millions of dollars in workers, in restaurants, in equipment, transportation, fuel, everything that keeps this basin going is at risk right now...”

A disaster on our hands, H&N, 5/8/2020. "The Klamath Project ...is now facing a possible water shutoff by or before July. The water allocation of 140,000 acre feet for the Project announced (by Reclamation) in April will likely drop to...an unofficial estimate of 55,000 acre feet left for the remainder of the irrigation season...For comparison, 350,000 acre feet is a full allocation for the Project... 'This is a significant reduction from the 140,000 acre feet we were told in April,” Souza said in an email on Friday. “Farmers have planted crops, hired workers, and have made plans based upon the 140,000 acre feet … and the rug is currently being pulled out from underneath them.' "
KBC NOTE: Yesterday, May 8th, approximately 100 farmers and ranchers gathered to be told that the Bureau will probably shut off their water in June, contrary to what they promised in April. Also the Bureau is sending massive amounts of water down the Klamath River contrary to a court order: "The BOR is hereby ordered to cease releasing stored water from UKL reservoir..." 
   The Bureau's interim report concludes, "the cumulative impacts (to help fish) are likely to be minor, as sucker recovery, coho enhancement, and changes to the biological resources would require a much longer time frame to be implemented and their effects are speculative beyond the period of analysis.”

Project irrigators protest Reclamation's unlawful use of water, H&N 4/28/2020. "An interim order put in place by Oregon Water Resources Department on April 21 gave the state agency charge over the water distribution and demanded that Reclamation not use water from Upper Klamath Lake, including in a flushing flow down the Link River Dam, unless it follows specific guidelines outlined in the order. The order has not stopped the recent 40,000 acre foot flushing flow... The federal government’s stealing from us.”

Response to massive flows diverted out of Klamath Project irrigation water storage by Klamath River resident Rex Cozzalio, Hornbrook 4/26/2020 "...For them to continue water wasting against court orders is revealingly ironic, when BOR, OWR, and 'collaborators' are all too happy to comply when court orders are AGAINST the Upper Basin irrigators.  I truly hope this can intervene soon enough to avert total Upper Basin carnage this year..."

Klamath Project operations unchanged by OWRD ruling, H&N 4/26/2020. KBC Note: The article reads: "The order urges the Bureau of Reclamation to stop releasing stored water from Upper Klamath Lake..."  The court order reads: "The BOR is hereby ordered to cease releasing stored water from UKL reservoir..." They continue to divert our stored water out of Upper Klamath Lake.

Klamath water allocation short of demand for farmers, ranchers, Capital Press 4/24/2020. "The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will provide approximately 140,000 acre-feet of water to farms and ranches from Upper Klamath Lake in 2020...only one-third of historical demand for the Klamath Project...The plan, finalized Wednesday, comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the Yurok Tribe, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations and the Institute for Fisheries Resources against the bureau, seeking an additional 50,000 acre-feet of water for salmon..."

OWRD takes charge of Upper Klamath Lake, H&N 4/24/2020. "The (court) order said it prohibits U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from diverting stored water in Upper Klamath Lake through Link River for purposes of a 50,000 acre-feet flushing flow without a water right."  KBC NOTE: Rumor has it that the Bureau is defying the court order and continues to divert our stored water into the ocean.

April's EXTREME "pulse flows", 6000cfs, dewatering Klamath irrigators' stored water 4/23/2020 from rancher Rex Cozzalio, Hornbrook, CA on the Klamath River. The 3 photos of flooding are Iron Gate flow wasted over the spillway, Hornbrook on the Klamath River, and Klamathon Bridge near Hornbrook.


On our Klamath Basin Crisis Facebook Page, a question was asked "Why are the Yutok stating they did not receive the 40,000af flushing flows per the Herald and News ? "
Klamath Irrigation District manager Gene Souze responded, "the 40,000 is an additional augmentation to 400,000 environmental water agreed to by Reclamation to stay a 50,000 litigation for more in this drought year. To date they have received nearly 250,000 + 7000 + 8000...and should have well over 422,500 by the end of September. For them to complain about not getting water..."

Reclamation releases Interim Operating Procedures and 2020 Operations Plan for the Klamath Project, Bureau of Reclamation News Release 4/22/2020. "the Project supply from Upper Klamath Lake for the 2020 irrigation season is approximately 140,000 acre-feet. This volume is approximately one-third the historical irrigation demand of the Klamath Project...The 2020 Operations Plan ... provides increased water flows in the Klamath River for Endangered Species Act-listed coho, as well as Chinook salmon, and maintains Upper Klamath Lake elevations important for endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers..." KBC NOTE: Rec concludes "...Finding of No Significant Impact related to the Interim Operating Procedures..." however the plan states that "...involuntary land fallowing of productive irrigable land within the Proposed Action Alternative area would occur leading to an increased risk to local rural agricultural communities.” OUR "risk" of them putting our stored water into the ocean: No water, no farms.

Bureau of Reclamation ERROR - TODAY April 2014 by 11:59 pm you must RESUBMIT your public comment letter with a new address on the Klamath Project interim operations because they gave you the wrong email address. First they gave us only 9 days to review their entire plan to downsize irrigated agriculture, then they threw in one more day. Just yesterday, April 13, late afternoon they said they didn’t receive our public input because of their error and only gave us ONE MORE DAY to hopefully see their email and RESUBMIT our comments, in the middle of spring farming!  4/14/2020.
Public Comment by Oregon Rep E Werner Reschke on Klamath Project Operation Plan, submitted 4/10/2020.
Public Comment by Rex Cozzalio on Klamath Project Operation Plan, resubmitted 4/14/2020.
Public Comment on Klamath Project Op Plan, resubmitted by Tulelake Farmer 4/11/2020.
Letter to Bureau of Reclamation on Lower Klamath Project; Klamath River dam removal, by Dr. Richard Gierak 4/14/2020.
 

KWUA Announces Projected Klamath Project Irrigation Allocation; Drought Response Agency Expects to Open Programs April 15 4/6/2020. “Bottom line, we’re looking at less than half of the water that’s needed,” said TID Manager Brad Kirby

4/4/2020 - KBC NOTE: PCFFA (Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen), IFR and Yurok Tribe sued to take another 50,000 acre feet of Klamath Project stored water to dump into Klamath River. Klamath Water Users settled for giving up 23,000 acre feet of their deeded water. Yuroks celebrate their victory: Yurok Tribe and commercial fishing families secure more water for salmon, from an Earthjustice news release April 1, 2020. "The Yurok Tribe, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), and the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR, represented by the nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice, have successfully obtained a new three-year plan from the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) for operating the Klamath Irrigation Project to increase springtime flows in the Klamath River..."

*** PRESS RELEASE - COMMENTS Period extended to APRIL 11! Reclamation seeks public input on proposed Klamath Project interim operations 4/1/2020.  Please send your comments on these massive water acquisitions for whales, salmon, tribes and suckers; this is a temporary mandate to run through the projected Klamath dam removal in 2022-2023. Then they will unveil another plan made in coordination with the Yuroks (that are suing us for more water acquisitions) and other Tribes and government agencies to come up with much more water for whales, salmon and suckers after dam removal and dam reservoir storage is obliterated.

PRESS RELEASE - COMMENTS DUE APRIL 10! Reclamation seeks public input on proposed Klamath Project interim operations 4/1/2020. We were given 9 days to respond to a 178 page technical report, which downsizes available water to Klamath Project irrigators.

Agreement Buys Time on New Klamath Project Ops Plan, KWUA 3/30/2020.
 

Yurok vs. Reclamation case moved to March 6, H&N 2/28/2020

KWUA files lawsuit against Reclamation, H&N 4/12/19. "Klamath Water Users Association, which had announced its intent to file suit last week, did so against Bureau of Reclamation on Thursday due to limitations to water supply for the Klamath Project outlined in the 2019 biological opinions."

Water for irrigators: KWUA announces Project delivery, H&N 4/11/19. "Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath Basin Area Office will deliver at least 322,000 acre feet of water — or a 92% allocation — rather than a full 350,000 from Upper Klamath Lake to the Klamath Project this summer and fall...Longtime legal counsel for KWUA Paul Simmons...was selected as executive director of the association..." KBC NOTE: an irrigator contacted and told us: "It is really less than honest to say the Project is getting 92% of their deliveries this year. If you go back to their original allotment, this year they are only actually getting around 69. All of our water, both upper and lower basin, continues to be "re-allocated."

Irrigation season begins for Klamath Project, followed by Reclamation transitions to modified water operation plan, H&N 4/4/19. "Snowpack as of Tuesday afternoon is up to about 129 percent of average for the Klamath Project, with precipitation resting at 98 percent. Nettleton told irrigators late last month they could anticipate a projected 93 percent allocation, pending the release of the official number, which should be released later this week."

Klamath water year looks promising, H&N 3/21/19. Bureau of Reclamation PUBLIC MEETING March 22, Friday, 1-3 at Klamath County Fairgrounds on 2019 water year. (One whole day notice.)
Please take time to read through the Draft Klamath Project Environmental Assessment. It details Project irrigators' new lower cap on surface water, additional groundwater needed to help but not make up for the decrease in surface water allowed, more fallowed land, more well pumping expense, worse economy and unemployment. Bird predation of baby suckers is one reason for keeping more water in lakes, but there have been no thorough studies of the bird predation caused by the 3 manmade islands to entice fish-eating terns to come into the Klamath Basin...terns that ate 20 million smolts annually in the Columbia Basin.
One irrigator's comments on the Bureau's devastating Draft Environmental Assessment, 3/19/19

COMMENT BY March 19! Reclamation requests comments on Klamath Project draft environmental assessment 3/5/19

COMMENT BY March 19! Reclamation requests comments on Klamath Project environmental assessment, 3/5/19.  (KBC Note: this proposed EA lowers the cap on water deliveries to the Klamath Project, increases lake levels, projects more groundwater pumping, more unemployment, worse local economy, more seasons of insufficient water for Project. It's important to read this. It's a little over 100 pages. The Herald and News notice gave not nearly enough time to comprehend the document and make comments.)
 

BOR updates KID on water operations, H&N 2/17/19
BOR map of current Klamath Basin water storage 02/17/19

BOR names new Mid-Pacific Region director, Conant to oversee Klamath along with California and Nevada projects, H&N 1/22/19.

Reclamation finalizes Klamath Project Biological Assessment, BOR Press Release 1/2/19
BOR releases Klamath Project Biological Assessment, H&N 1/3/19. "It’s analyzing, assessing, the impacts of the Klamath Project operation on all these (endangered) species...The services are going to use this Biological Assessment that we did … to create the bi-Op...We’re allowing the public to view it but there’s no comment period..."
The 2018 assessment and its appendices are available at www.usbr.gov/mp/kbao
Reclamation's guiding water document, Biological Assessment, released, H&N 12/23/18

Deputy Reclamation commissioner tours Klamath Basin, H&N 11/29/18.

Klamath Tribes drop ESA lawsuit against BOR. Merkley to hold PRIVATE Sucker Recovery Summit November 16 in Klamath Falls, H&N 11/9/18.

BOR Press Release 9/18/18: COMMENTS DUE September 25! Reclamation releases draft environmental document for Cold Creek Coho Passage and Screening Project. 43 page Draft Environmental Assessment Cold Creek Coho Salmon Passage and Screening Project. “The project would be funded in the amount $116,054.77 by the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and administered through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to Trout Unlimited (TU) as part of the 2016 Klamath River Coho Habitat Restoration Grant Program (Grant Program).” More on TU and Klamath HERE
 

Water, federal aid enroute to Klamath Project, H&N 6/3/18. "The Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath Basin Area Office said that there is roughly 55,000 to 56,000 acre feet available to the Klamath Project during June, with a total of about 195,000 to 200,000 acre feet anticipated for the summer irrigation season..."

PRESS RELEASE: Reclamation begins emergency dilution flows early Monday (May 7) in Klamath River; Water releases from Iron Gate Dam will continue through May 21; public urged to take safety precautions 5/7/18. "The emergency dilution flows will utilize approximately 50,000 acre-feet of water from Upper Klamath Lake..."
 

$10.3 million in drought relief OK'd, H&N 5/4/18. "The top-level approval frees up the funds for the Bureau of Reclamation to issue a proposal to distribute the money to on-Project irrigators, Walden said. A proposal from Reclamation could be released as early as Friday or on Monday at the latest... The money is slated to fund pumping, land idling, and disaster relief."

Walden to speed up relief for on-Project irrigators, H&N 5/2/18. "Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath Basin Area Office Manager Jeff Nettleton also addressed the order issued by Orrick, with intentions to appeal it."

Project water delivery discussed following judge's decision. Walden, BOR to address irrigators today, H&N 5/2/18. "A tentative time frame for Klamath Project water delivery of somewhere between June 1 and 15 was announced Tuesday by the Bureau of Reclamation...Part of BOR’s plan going forward, according to officials, is that the agency is considering asking for a total 14,500 acre feet of water from the Horsefly and Langell Valley irrigation districts. That amount, coupled with 10,500 acre feet borrowed from PacifiCorp reservoirs, could help irrigation districts make it through the month. 'They feel like that would cover KID (Klamath Irrigation District) and Tulelake Irrigation District through the month of May...' "

* Letter from engineer Stephen Koshy, regarding Klamath dams catastrophic collapse, to our KBC News readers 4/27/18.        
 

Hoopa Tribe questions BOR Plan, Feds eye scaling back antiparasite Klamath dam releases,  Eureka Times Standard, 3/26/18. "...The bureau wrote in its court filing that it also evaluated the option of releasing a smaller dilution flow, but that the questions about these flows effectiveness still existed. Including a smaller dilution flow would also cause a complete irrigation shutoff in the Klamath Project until as late as June 15, according to the bureau."
KBC NOTE: Obama-appointed District Judge William Orrick, who ruled against President Trump in the sanctuary city policy, and "ruled in favor of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, Yurok Tribe and environmental groups’s arguments in February 2017..." stated “courts are not permitted to favor economic interests over potential harm to endangered species.” He will hear this Klamath case April 11th, and could potentially determine the fate of the Klamath Basin irrigators.

BOR recommends reduced water allocation. Pending court action, no water start date guaranteed, H&N 3/27/18

BOR PRESS RELEASE: Reclamation Responds to Klamath Water Users’ Motion in District Court, Outlines Proposed 2018 Operations, 3/24/18. "Reclamation’s proposal includes implementing a full surface flushing flow, augmented with non-Project water; forgoing an emergency dilution flow; and providing Klamath Project irrigators with a supply of 252,000 acre-feet – 65 percent of a full project supply – with deliveries commencing on April 19 with charging of main canal networks."

KID threatens to file suit against BOR; District requiring BOR response by Wed, H&N 3/23/18. " '...by the Bureau not distributing water in accordance with water law as it exists, they're causing irreparable harm to every irrigator in the state,' Reitmann said."

BOR public meeting Tuesday 1 p.m. March 20; Water delivery start date not expected at BOR meeting Tuesday, H&N 3/16/18
 

COMMENTS DUE FEB 23 - Reclamation unveils water contracts program (for Klamath water transfer), H&N 2/11/18. "...Contracts would expire in 2022, according to BOR officials. The deadline for the submitting comments on the NEPA documents is Feb. 23.."

Klamath Falls - BOR's Mikkelsen talks drought survival, H&N 2/9/18. "...The focus of people in the Basin right now is surviving 2018...Long-term solutions are frankly a little bit on the back-burner right now...“There are a lot of urban congressmen, both parties, that do not have any desire to make substantive changes to the ESA. And so we have to follow the ESA and we will follow the ESA.”

New BOR director appointed, director to work with Family Farm Alliance, H&N 11/22/17. Burman served as BOR’s deputy commissioner for external and intergovernmental affairs and the deputy assistant secretary,  director of water policy for Arizona’s Salt River Project, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and worked for The Nature Conservancy and former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl. "Keppen, a Klamath Falls resident and friend of (Brenda) Burman’s, praised the appointment." (Keppen is Executive Director of Family Farm Alliance, former special U.S. BOR Assistant in Mid-Pacific Region, former Executive Director of Klamath Water Users Association, and in 2011 was hired by Klamath Water and Power Agency to take the lead in the On-Project plan, part of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.

Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Mikkelson  and KRRC on Dam Removal vs Siskiyou County, & Attorneys Buchal and Kogan, and Congressman LaMalfa at Siskiyou Water Users fund raiser Liz Writes Life, Siskiyou Daily News by Liz Bowen 10/17/17. "KRRC Vice President Lester Snow...said the decision to take down the dams is not pending, but had been made. (Hum, not by Siskiyou or Klamath Counties.)...Snow continued saying they are looking for alternative water supply for the Iron Gate Fish Hatchery and possibly even for the City of Yreka. Uh oh, they now acknowledge dam removal could affect Yreka’s city water supply? On flooding, he said their consultants have looked at the issues and long-term liability if KRRC disappears. So, KRRC is looking for liability insurance...(CA U.S. Congressman LaMalfa) was ripping angry at bureaucrat  Mikkelsen and asked us to write letters...to DOI Secretary Ryan Zinke asking him to save the four hydro-electric Klamath dams..."

BOR acting commissioner tours Basin; New biological opinion, future of water agreements considered, H&N  7/19/17

Reclamation cancels water surges on Klamath River, H&N 6/1/17.

Department of the Interior: Rejection of Nomination of Cong. Ryan Zinke as Interior Secretary, Western States Constitutional Rights, LLC, letter to Alaska U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Chairwoman, Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, posted to KBC 2/4/17.  Many TOPICS INCLUDE: national forests and parks could be transferred into trust for tribes, tribes could exercise water rights based on aboriginal priority date to claim use over all waters flowing through "flowing through deemed 'Indian Forest Lands' at the expense of downstream farmers and ranchers (as is happening in Upper Klamath Basin)," Yurok Tribe lawsuit which would severely curtail Klamath Project and Off-Project irrigators exercise of their water rights, "Zinke has failed to guard America’s back-door against infiltration by lethal terrorists...unguarded 3,987-mile U.S.-Canada border that spans “sovereign” Indian reservations," "the Islamic Government of Turkey also sponsored eight additional tribes with reservations located within 100 miles of a nuclear power plant, a registered nuclear fuel facility or a registered uranium mine or deposit and also a water source,"  "...Council on American Islamic Relations (“CAIR”) located..." in same areas as many tribes.

Klamath River Salmon Draft EIS comments by Werner Hoyt, PE 11/8/16

BOR draft EIS Klamath Salmon Hearing 110916, *** Comments Due EXTENDED TO 12/12/16  since their website was not working for a few days. https://cdxnodengn.epa.gov/cdx-enepa-II/public/action/eis/details?eisId=219169 OR http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=22021

*Reclamation Releases Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Long-Term Plan to Protect Adult Salmon in the Lower Klamath River; Open House/Public Hearing Scheduled in Redding Nov. 9. COMMENTS DUE Dec. 5
The Draft EIS is available at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=22021. If you encounter problems accessing the document, please call 916-978-5100 (TTY 800-877-8339) or email [email protected]. Please email comments by close of business Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, to [email protected] or mail comments to Julia Long, Bureau of Reclamation, Northern California Area Office, 16349 Shasta Dam Blvd., Shasta Lake, CA 96019.

PRESS RELEASE - Jeffrey Nettleton Selected as the New Area Manager for the Klamath Basin Area Office in Klamath Falls, Oregon, BOR 9/18/16

Klamath BOR director (Therese O’Rourke Bradford) leaving, H&N 4/23/16

Letter from KID to Congressman Greg Walden requesting his presence at Bureau of Reclamation Meeting in Sacramento because of the Bureau's unachievable demands of KID, 4/19/16. "The KID’s signing of the BOR financing contract as-is, in other words, would leave the KID and its members saddled with substantial debt, entirely at the mercy of the BOR without legal recourse, and unable to control, let alone, purchase its Project transferred works...The second purpose of the forthcoming Sacramento meeting is to address the BOR’s ongoing failure to provide the KID with an annual accounting of its net Operations & Management ("O&M") expenditures... Ms. Bradford and Mr. Driscoll stated that they were unable to determine this amount...We found this statement, upon subsequent investigation, to be patently untrue....a 2014 U.S. General Accountability Office report reveals, the BOR has apparently failed to meet its legal obligation to determine, less provide, the required annual Statements of Project Construction Cost and Repayment ("SPCCR") setting forth each district’s respective share of the Project’s accumulated repayment obligation, since at least 2001 – the time of the infamous Bucket Brigade protest against the BOR’s shutoff of water to the Project....the absence of annual accountings renders the Project "transferred works" vulnerable to BOR take-back...Ms. Bradford and Mr. Driscoll also have so significantly inserted themselves into the KID’s business relationship with its C Canal Flume engineering contractor that they essentially dictated the engineering consultants’ recommendations for C Flume replacement and the previous KID Board’s and manager’s decisions to accept them."

Klamath Falls - Bureau of Reclamation makes offer irrigators can’t refuse, by KID attorney Lawrence Kogan for the Capital Press April 20, 2016

Reclamation Announces Increased Numbers of Lost River and Shortnose Sucker Fish in the Klamath Project, BOR 12/17/15. "Bureau of Reclamation biologists found the largest number of juvenile Lost River and shortnose sucker fish since fish salvage operations began on the Klamath Project...the late 1990s"

Reclamation Releases Scoping Report on Long-Term Plan for Protecting Late Summer Adult Salmon in the Lower Klamath River, BOR Press Release, posted to KBC 12/15/15.
Comments on Plan

BOR wins lawsuit over water transfer, H&N 8/22/15

Whistleblowers claim millions wasted in Klamath Project, Siskiyou Daily, followed by: Claim against Bureau of Reclamation gains traction as Interior Department probes drought funds’ use, H&N 7/2/15. "The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has opened an investigation into the expenditure of $48 million in taxpayer funds in the Upper Klamath Basin following a scathing whistleblower declaration. The controversy is centered on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s interactions with the Klamath Water and Power Agency (KWAPA),  an inter-governmental agency formed in 2008 by representatives of California and Oregon drainage districts within the Klamath Project."

New BOR manager trades one complex post for another, H&N 6/21/15. "Before coming to Klamath Falls, O’Rourke Bradford (was) Regulatory Branch Chief for the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers...(worked for) U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy..."

Bureau makes call for water, shutoffs anticipated, H&N 6/17/15

Bureau of Reclamation News Release: Therese O’Rourke Bradford Selected as the New Area Manager for the Klamath Basin Area Office in Klamath Falls, Oregon, 4/23/15. Resume: "Regulatory Branch Chief for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers...U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...U.S. Forest Service...Nature Conservancy...primary architect for the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan.."
Related Articles:
Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan..."
Coachella Valley ... Conservation Plan: "The CVMSHCP is a regional conservation plan comprising of close to 1.14 million acres...Project Advisory Group (PAG) was created employing a diverse range of contributors including the CVWD, University of California, Sierra Club, Building Industry Association, Nature Conservancy, and many others."
Additional reading: Lessons from area-wide, multi-agency habitat conservation plans in California
California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project

BOR study to tackle climate change threats. Crop modification and river restoration among options, H&N 2/24/15. "Greg Addington, executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association, said any study will be incomplete unless it includes water needs for fish and wildlife...He pointed out that the Tribes should be part of any long-term water storage discussion." " Implementing strategies could improve delivery efficiency, reduce demand, reduce losses, and support water acquisition and transfers, and restoration projects, McGinnis said....Strategy examples include modifying crop use and acreage, increasing water storage, increasing streamflow, river restoration and implementing the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.

BOR accused of misusing water funds. Whistleblower claim lodged against BOR and Basin irrigators, H&N 2/20/15.

Bureau of Reclamation News Release: Therese O’Rourke Bradford Selected as the New Area Manager for the Klamath Basin Area Office in Klamath Falls, Oregon, 4/23/15. Resume: "Regulatory Branch Chief for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers...U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...U.S. Forest Service...Nature Conservancy...primary architect for the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan.."
Related Articles:
Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan..."
Coachella Valley ... Conservation Plan: "The CVMSHCP is a regional conservation plan comprising of close to 1.14 million acres...Project Advisory Group (PAG) was created employing a diverse range of contributors including the CVWD, University of California, Sierra Club, Building Industry Association, Nature Conservancy, and many others."
Additional reading: Lessons from area-wide, multi-agency habitat conservation plans in California
California Essential Habitat Connectivity Project

Obama seeks $18 million for Klamath Project. BOR pursues government financial support for new office, H&N 2/6/15.

Klamath salmon in danger; additional flows intended to prevent fish die-off, H&N, posted to KBC 9/21/14. "The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) began releasing additional flows from Trinity Reservoir via the Lewiston Dam Tuesday....We must, however, take all reasonable measures to prevent a recurrence of the fish losses experienced in 2002"  KBC NOTE: Water was shut off to Klamath Basin family farms the summer of 2001. After irrigation was restored to irrigators in later, tribes, U.S. Dept of Fish and Game, and environmental groups focused on obliterating farming in the Klamath Basin, blamed Klamath Farmers for fish dying in 2002, 170 miles downstream. Fish Scientist David Vogel (see #'s 19, 22, 23 and 29) explained why sending high flows of warm water from Iron Gate dam was lethal for salmon in the already warm river. According to a Scientist conference in Klamath Falls in 2004, effects of the 2002, 500,000-acre Biscuit Fire smoke were never studied in relation to fish dying that fall. Neither were considered effects of drainoff from drug labs on the Klamath River.

Additional water releases for Klamath River, H&N 8/23/14

Agency reconsidering water for Klamath salmon, H&N 8/16/14. "Tribal members were going to Sacramento on Tuesday to hold a vigil outside Bureau offices, she said. Since the 1960s, some water from the Trinity has been pumped over the mountains to the Central Valley of California for irrigation. Sierztutowski said some of those irrigation districts have been denied water this year due to the drought."

BOR, PacifiCorp reach agreement on reservoir releases  H&N, posted to KBC 8/16/14. "According to KWAPA Executive Director Hollie Cannon, the combination of consecutive drought years and new rules in place to protect endangered fish in the Klamath watershed means irrigators are given less surface water, forcing them to turn to groundwater..."

Bureau of Reclamation Press Release includes $18 million in Klamath Project 3/4/14

BOR works with local irrigators; Phillips remains in charge of the local project; interim managers share duties, H&N 2/8/14. "Right now the projections are if the weather (precipitation) doesn’t turn to be above average for the rest of the year, it will likely be the driest year in recorded history...”

PRESS RELEASE: Reclamation Announces the Selection of (Klamath Falls Area Manager) Jason Phillips as Deputy Regional Director for the Mid-Pacific Region, BOR 10/30/13

Bureau of Reclamation Press Release: Reclamation to Increase Releases from Lewiston Dam to the Trinity River for Tribal Ceremony and Lower Klamath Flow Augmentation, 8/23/13. SEE TRINITY PAGE