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Topic: Klamath River

Overview April 24, 2014

Klamath River

The Klamath River flows 253 miles from Southern Oregon to the California coast, draining a basin of more than 15,000 square miles. The watershed and its fisheries have been the subject of negotiation since the 1860s negotiations that have intensified and continue to this day.

The river has provided irrigation to ag lands since the late 19th century. Agricultural development drained vast areas of wetlands on the periphery of Upper Klamath Lake and in upstream watersheds. Some of this drained acreage has been restored and is now managed primarily for wetland benefits.

The watershed is divided geographically into two basins, upper and lower, divided by Iron Gate Dam, the lower most dam on the river. The Upper Basin is dry, with annual precipitation of about 13 inches at the river’s origin near Klamath Falls, Ore. Downstream, the climate grows wetter.

Native Americans have a significant presence in the Klamath Basin. Four major tribes have been influential in water negotiations: the Klamath Tribes, the Karuk Tribe, the Hoopa Valley Tribe and the Yurok Tribe.

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Aquafornia news March 17, 2023 California Trout

Blog: California salmon ocean fishing season cancelled to help fish recover

On March 10, officials in California made the difficult yet pragmatic decision to cancel … ocean salmon commercial or sport fishing off California’s coast until April 2024. In the Sacramento and Klamath rivers, Chinook salmon numbers have approached record lows due to recent drought conditions. … Right now, we believe that the commercial salmon fishing ban is what our salmon need to ensure population numbers do not dip to unrecoverable lows. As we look to future population resiliency, there are so many other things these fish need, and our teams are working hard to make them happen. CalTrout works from ridge top to river mouth to get salmon populations unassisted access to each link in the chain of habitats that each of their life stages depends on.

Related articles: 

  • ABC 7 – San Francisco: Canceled California salmon season becomes financial burden for fishers
  • KGW 8 – Portland: Imperiled Chinook salmon runs close ocean fishing off California, much of Oregon 
  • KALW – Bay Area: The Spiritual Edge: A Prayer For Salmon Ep. 6
  • California Trout: Field Note - Following Fish Migration Up the Pescadero Creek Watershed
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 16, 2023 North Coast Journal

Sport and commercial ocean salmon season closed statewide

The Pacific Fishery Management Council on March 10 provided three options for recreation and commercial salmon fishing from the California/Oregon border all the way south to the California/Mexico border. Unfortunately, but not surprising, all three options included the words “closed.” In an unprecedented decision, the PFMC was left with little choice but to close recreational and commercial salmon fishing this season statewide. Southern Oregon, which also impacts Sacramento and Klamath River fall Chinook, will also be closed from Cape Falcon south. The sport fishery had been scheduled to open off California in most areas on April 1. The closures were made to protect Sacramento River fall Chinook, which returned to the Central Valley in 2022 at near-record low numbers, and Klamath River fall Chinook, which had the second lowest abundance forecast since the current assessment method began in 1997.

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Aquafornia news March 15, 2023 Jefferson Public Radio

After the dams: Restoring the Klamath River will take billions of native seeds

On the north shore of Iron Gate reservoir, Frank Henry, Jr. jams a heavy metal pole into the ground and twists. Once a hole is excavated, he grabs a stick from a five-gallon bucket. Water drips from the small tangle of roots at one end. The stick is Klamath plum; it will eventually grow into a shrubby tree that forms dense thickets and produces mauve-colored fruits. … Henry is part of a crew contracted by Resource Environmental Solutions, or RES, to restore the banks of the Klamath River in the wake of dam removal. Late last year, PacifiCorp transferred ownership of four hydroelectric dams—three in Northern California; one in Southern Oregon—to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, which is managing the dam removal. Drawdown of the reservoirs is scheduled to begin as early as next January.

Related article: 

  • Global Construction Review: Work gets under way on America’s largest-ever river renewal project
  • Read more
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Aquafornia news March 15, 2023 CalMatters

No California salmon: Fishery to be shut down this year

In response to crashing Chinook populations, a council of West Coast fishery managers plans to cancel this year’s salmon season in California, which will put hundreds of commercial fishermen and women out of work in Northern California and turn the summer into a bummer for thousands of recreational anglers. …The Pacific Fishery Management Council announced March 10 that it is choosing between three fishing season alternatives. Each would close the 2023 season, with the possibility of a reopening in 2024. The final decision will come during a session that begins April 1.

Related articles: 

  • Los Angeles Times: Salmon fishing banned along California coast as population plummets
  • HD Post: Fishery council proposes to cancel 2023 salmon fishing — salmon association argues water mismanagement
  • Sacramento Bee: California salmon season is canceled for the first time since 2009. Here’s what it means
  • Fox Weather: California cancels salmon fishing season amid ‘climate disruption‘
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news March 14, 2023 Record Searchlight

Low Sacramento River salmon forecast to close ocean salmon fishing

Federal officials have proposed closing commercial chinook salmon fishing off the coast of California over concerns for expected low numbers of fall-run chinook salmon returning to the Sacramento River this year. The Pacific Fishery Management Council announced its three alternatives for recreational and commercial fishing Friday. Ocean recreational fishing from the Oregon-California border to the U.S.-Mexico border will be closed in all three proposals, “given the low abundance forecasts for both Klamath and Sacramento River fall chinook.” the council said in a news release issued Friday. Commercial salmon fishing off the coast of California also will be closed, the council said. Ocean fishing restrictions were also announced for Oregon and Washington.

Related articles: 

  • Eureka Times-Standard: California salmon season likely to be canceled
  • The Hill: California cancels rest of salmon season over lingering drought issues
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Aquafornia news March 9, 2023 KDRV - Medford

Construction preparation on Klamath River dams underway, removal complete by 2024

Construction to start the removal process of the Klamath River dams will start this month and all four dams are scheduled to be removed from the river by the end of 2024. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the $450 million dam removal project in November of 2022. It will be the largest dam removal project in American history.  The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), who took over ownership of the dams from Pacific Power, is leading the historic construction project. This month, construction preparation work is underway. Construction on the dams will begin this summer, starting with Copco 2.

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Aquafornia news March 8, 2023 KQED - San Francisco

Threatened coho salmon at risk due to federal mismanagement, groups allege

A few weeks ago, federally threatened coho salmon swam up the Klamath River, spawned and laid egg nests. But some of these nests, or redds, holding as many as 4,000 eggs, may never hatch, owing to reduced water levels in the river. It’s the result of a severe water management bungling, say critics, by the Bureau of Reclamation, which controls how much water flows from Upper Klamath Lake into the river. … Tribal nations and commercial fishing groups argue the agency violated the Endangered Species Act when it reduced river flows in mid-March below a minimum level set in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biological opinion, a series of recommendations and requirements meant to help the salmon recover and ensure river management decisions don’t push the species to the brink of extinction…. The Bureau of Reclamation, which controls flows and water allocation on the Klamath, says it is caught between competing priorities.

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Aquafornia news March 8, 2023 KRCR - Redding

$22.5M awarded to salmon and habitat projects across California

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has awarded $22.5 million to 19 projects that reportedly restore habitat for salmon and wildlife corridors. According to the CDFW, eight of the 19 projects address drought impacts on salmon and seek to repair unscreened water diversions. The largest salmon project will be led by the Yurok Tribe, which was awarded $3.9 million. Tribal officials will work within the Oregon Gulch area of the Upper Trinity River to reestablish the river’s natural flow after it was damaged by hydraulic mining. The tribe will also reportedly work on restoring overflow banks for Coho salmon.

Related article: 

  • California Department of Fish and Wildlife: CDFW Announces $22.5 Million To Benefit Salmon And Support Critical Habitat Projects Statewide
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Aquafornia news March 2, 2023 Jefferson Public Radio

$15 million announced for habitat restoration projects in the Klamath Basin

The $15 million in funding will come from the federal government’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was passed by Congress in late 2021. “Anything that improves the ecological infrastructure of the Basin we’re interested in learning about,” said Matt Baun, the Klamath coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A total of $162 million was earmarked for the Klamath Basin over five years from the infrastructure law. This is the second year of funding. Organizations that are eligible include nonprofits, academic institutions, tribes and even community groups. Projects could range from fisheries restoration and water quality work to agricultural projects and efforts to improve waterfowl habitat.

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Aquafornia news March 1, 2023 Law360

Feds say new Trinity River flows support fish populations

A new winter water flow management project implemented in California’s Trinity River is best for the region’s fish populations, the U.S. Department of the Interior and its Bureau of Reclamation said … 

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Aquafornia news February 27, 2023 UC Davis

Blog: The science of saving salmon as Klamath dams come down

The world’s largest dam removal in history is slated for 2023. Led by Indigenous tribes in partnership with organizations, lawyers, scientists and activists, the project will remove four dams, clearing the way for the lower Klamath River to flow freely for the first time in more than a century.  The Institute of the Environment’s monthly seminar series recently brought together a panel of experts intimately tied to the project to discuss the history and outlook for these changes. Participants on the Feb. 8 panel were Brittani Orona, assistant professor of American Indian Studies at San Diego State University; Robert Lusardi of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences; Tommy Williams from NOAA Fisheries; Toz Soto, Karuk Tribe fisheries manager; Scott Williams, an attorney from Berkeley. 

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Aquafornia news February 23, 2023 BIC Magazine

After dropping to a 20-year low, western U.S. hydropower generation rose 13% last year

The western United States—Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, California, Oregon, and Washington—produced 61% of the country’s hydroelectricity last water year (2021–22). Increases in hydropower generation in the region’s three largest hydropower-producing states—Washington, Oregon, and California—drove last year’s rise in western hydroelectric generation. Combined, these states made up 82% of western hydropower generation in the 2021–22 water year. Data from the Northwest River Forecast Center and the California Department of Water Resources show that increased precipitation in the 2021–22 water year fueled the increased hydropower generation in these states. 

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Aquafornia news February 22, 2023 KLCC

Water managers could withhold Klamath County drought permits this year

Not issuing the drought permits could have a significant impact on agriculture in the region if farmers don’t have access to irrigation water. …The department usually issues 40 to 50 drought permits per year. A spokesperson for the Klamath Water Users Association, which lobbies for the basin’s agriculture community, did not respond to an interview request. Groundwater levels in the Klamath Basin have declined significantly in recent years. OWRD said the water level dropped by 20 to 30 feet over the last three years alone, so additional access is unsustainable. Emergency drought declarations have been made in Klamath County in 16 of the past 31 years.

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Aquafornia news February 22, 2023 Stockton Record

CA salmon webinar announced as fisheries in Sacramento, Klamath drop

As salmon runs on the Sacramento and Klamath River systems continue to plummet, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold its annual Salmon Information Meeting via webinar next week. The session is schedule 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Wednesday, March 1. This meeting is one of the most important meetings of the year for anglers to attend. It will feature the outlook for this year’s sport and commercial ocean salmon fisheries, in addition to a review of last year’s salmon fisheries and spawning escapement, according to the CDFW.

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Aquafornia news February 21, 2023 High Country News

Are the feds risking endangered salmon for fries and potato chips?

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation … announced last week that it will cut flows on the [Klamath] river to historic lows, drying out the river and likely killing salmon farther downstream. … The basin has more than 200,000 acres of irrigated farmland, between 10,000 and 14,000 of which are dedicated to potatoes, an Indigenous food originally engineered from a toxic wild root by Andean horticulturists. Roughly three quarters of the basin’s potato yield go to companies like Frito Lay for potato chips, and In-N-Out Burger for fries, according to the Klamath Water Users Association.

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Aquafornia news February 16, 2023 KTVL - Medford

Despite wet winter, adjustments arrive for Klamath Project

Despite a wet winter in Southern Oregon and Northern California, the Klamath Basin remains in an extensive, multi-year drought. To conserve water, The Bureau of Reclamation announced flows from Iron Gate Dam into the Klamath River will be reduced by approximately 11%, effective immediately. “Despite storm events experienced across Oregon and California in late December and early January, the hydrology of the Klamath Basin continues to be hampered by the effects of a multi-year drought,” said the Bureau in a statement. The flows will then be managed through April 1, while seeking technical input received through weekly Tribal Nation and stakeholder meetings.

Related article: 

  • Law 360: Calif. Tribe Again Tries To Block Trinity Winter Flow Project
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Aquafornia news February 15, 2023 Humboldt County News

News release: Tribes warn of further risk to endangered coho salmon as feds move to cut Klamath River flows

Late last year, the final regulatory approvals to remove four large dams on the Klamath River became the good news environmental story of the year. The fact that Tribes from remote communities along the California-Oregon border started a successful movement to remove four large dams suggests that America can indeed restore rivers, ensure wild salmon runs for future generations, and honor traditional cultures. Unfortunately, officials from the Bureau of Reclamation and the Fish and Wildlife Service are turning this epic [victory] into a tragedy. Today, Department of Interior officials told tribes that flows to the river from the Klamath Irrigation Project would be reduced below the minimums described by the Biological Opinion that is supposed to govern Klamath Irrigation Project operations.

Related articles: 

  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: Reclamation announces temporary adjustment in Klamath Project operations
  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: Reclamation announces 2023 restoration flow increases on the Trinity River as part of restoration program
  • CA Department of Fish and Wildlife: News release - CDFW, Robinson Rancheria partner on pilot program to remove invasive carp, goldfish to help Clear Lake hitch 
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 14, 2023 The Revelator

Klamath countdown: Researchers hustle before largest dam-removal project begins 

Next year will be the big year. By the end of 2024 the Lower Klamath River will run free for the first time in a century, enabling fish like salmon and steelhead to reclaim 400 miles of river habitat in California and Oregon. The removal of four dams on the river — the largest dam-removal and river-restoration project to date — got the official go-ahead late last year after two decades of work from the region’s Tribes and other advocates. But before next year’s much-anticipated demolitions begin, a lot remains to be done. The smallest of the four dams, Copco 2, will come down in 2023, and crews will improve roads and bridges, move a municipal water line, and build a new fish hatchery.

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Aquafornia news February 9, 2023 KDRV - Medford

Klamath National Forest reports more snow than normal this winter

The Klamath National Forest says today the snowpack across the Forest is more than the normal average for its February 1 snow survey results. The Klamath National Forest (KNF) says today it has completed its February 1 snow surveys as part of California’s Cooperative Snow Survey program, which helps the State forecast the quantity of water available for agriculture, power generation, recreation, and stream flow releases later in the year. … KNF says measurements for the February 1 survey show the Forest’s snowpack is at 125% of the historic average snow height (snow depth) and at 129% of the historic average Snow Water Equivalent (SWE, a measure of water content) across all survey points (see result table). Historically, snowpack reaches its annual maximum by late-March/early-April.

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Aquafornia news February 8, 2023 Ag Alert

Federal actions on water frustrate Klamath farmers

A decades-long tussle over water continues at the California-Oregon border, as irrigators of the federal Klamath Water Project say they find themselves hamstrung again by environmental regulations and operating procedures prioritizing protected fish over the needs of agriculture—the economic engine for local communities. … Tulelake farmer Ben DuVal, president of the Klamath Water Users Association, said he is frustrated by “a complete breakdown in management” at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which “built this project, and they essentially are not taking care of it.” After three years of drought and little to no water allocated to the project during that time, Reclamation, which manages the Klamath Project, put in place temporary operating procedures in January.

  • Read more
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Western Water October 24, 2019 California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Understanding Streamflow Is Vital to Water Management in California, But Gaps In Data Exist
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: A new law aims to reactivate dormant stream gauges to aid in flood protection, water forecasting

Stream gauges gather important metrics such as  depth, flow (described as cubic feet per second) and temperature.  This gauge near downtown Sacramento measures water depth.California is chock full of rivers and creeks, yet the state’s network of stream gauges has significant gaps that limit real-time tracking of how much water is flowing downstream, information that is vital for flood protection, forecasting water supplies and knowing what the future might bring.

That network of stream gauges got a big boost Sept. 30 with the signing of SB 19. Authored by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), the law requires the state to develop a stream gauge deployment plan, focusing on reactivating existing gauges that have been offline for lack of funding and other reasons. Nearly half of California’s stream gauges are dormant.

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Western Water October 19, 2018 Klamath River Watershed Map Layperson's Guide to Groundwater Gary Pitzer

California Leans Heavily on its Groundwater, But Will a Court Decision Tip the Scales Against More Pumping?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Pumping near the Scott River in Siskiyou County sparks appellate court ruling extending public trust doctrine to groundwater connected to rivers

Scott River, in Siskiyou County. In 1983, a landmark California Supreme Court ruling extended the public trust doctrine to tributary creeks that feed Mono Lake, which is a navigable water body even though the creeks themselves were not. The ruling marked a dramatic shift in water law and forced Los Angeles to cut back its take of water from those creeks in the Eastern Sierra to preserve the lake.

Now, a state appellate court has for the first time extended that same public trust doctrine to groundwater that feeds a navigable river, in this case the Scott River flowing through a picturesque valley of farms and alfalfa in Siskiyou County in the northern reaches of California.

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Aquapedia background August 25, 2016 Layperson's Guide to California Water California Water Map

Headwaters

Sierra Nevada headwaters streamHeadwaters are the source of a stream or river. They are located at the furthest point from where the water body empties or merges with another. Two-thirds of California’s surface water supply originates in these mountainous and typically forested regions.

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Western Water Excerpt August 16, 2016 Jenn Bowles

Outdated Dams: When Removal Becomes an Option
Summer 2016

Mired in drought, expectations are high that new storage funded by Prop. 1 will be constructed to help California weather the adverse conditions and keep water flowing to homes and farms.

At the same time, there are some dams in the state eyed for removal because they are obsolete – choked by accumulated sediment, seismically vulnerable and out of compliance with federal regulations that require environmental balance.

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Video May 27, 2014

The Klamath Basin: A Restoration for the Ages (20 min. DVD)

20-minute version of the 2012 documentary The Klamath Basin: A Restoration for the Ages. This DVD is ideal for showing at community forums and speaking engagements to help the public understand the complex issues related to complex water management disputes in the Klamath River Basin. Narrated by actress Frances Fisher.

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Video May 27, 2014

The Klamath Basin: A Restoration for the Ages (60 min. DVD)

For over a century, the Klamath River Basin along the Oregon and California border has faced complex water management disputes. As relayed in this 2012, 60-minute public television documentary narrated by actress Frances Fisher, the water interests range from the Tribes near the river, to energy producer PacifiCorp, farmers, municipalities, commercial fishermen, environmentalists – all bearing legitimate arguments for how to manage the water. After years of fighting, a groundbreaking compromise may soon settle the battles with two epic agreements that hold the promise of peace and fish for the watershed. View an excerpt from the documentary here.

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Video May 27, 2014

A Climate of Change: Water Adaptation Strategies

This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an excellent overview of climate change and how it is already affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are underway to plan and adapt to climate.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

Klamath River Watershed Map
Published 2011

This beautiful 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, displays the rivers, lakes and reservoirs, irrigated farmland, urban areas and Indian reservations within the Klamath River Watershed. The map text explains the many issues facing this vast, 15,000-square-mile watershed, including fish restoration; agricultural water use; and wetlands. Also included are descriptions of the separate, but linked, Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Agreement, and the next steps associated with those agreements. Development of the map was funded by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

California Water Map, Spanish

Spanish language version of our California Water Map

Versión en español de nuestro mapa de agua de California

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Video April 17, 2014

The Klamath Basin: A Restoration for the Ages
Hosted by Frances Fisher

The Klamath Basin: A Restoration for the Ages
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Maps & Posters April 17, 2014 California Water Bundle

California Water Map
Updated December 2016

A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect gift for the water wonk in your life.

Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts – including federally, state and locally funded projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects, wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado River.

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Aquapedia background February 11, 2014 California Water Map Layperson's Guide to California Water

Pacific Flyway

The Pacific Flyway is one of four major North American migration routes for birds, especially waterfowl, and extends from Alaska and Canada, through California, to Mexico and South America. Each year, birds follow ancestral patterns as they travel the flyway on their annual north-south migration. Along the way, they need stopover sites such as wetlands with suitable habitat and food supplies. In California, 90 percent of historic wetlands have been lost.

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Aquapedia background February 10, 2014

Klamath River Basin Chronology

1849-1850 Gold discovered in the Lower Klamath Basin. Farms and ranches established in the Scott and Shasta valleys.

1855 Klamath River Reservation established on the Lower Klamath River.

1864 Hoopa Valley Tribe and Klamath Tribes cede most of their lands for settlement but retain large reservations.

1868 Two farmers dig first irrigation ditch in the Upper Klamath Basin.

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Aquapedia background February 10, 2014

Klamath Basin Water Quality

 Klamath Basin Water Quality

On the Klamath River, the Upper Klamath Basin’s aquatic ecosystems are naturally very productive due to its phosphorus-rich geology.

However, this high productivity makes the Basin’s lakes vulnerable to water quality problems.

Nutrient loads in the Upper Klamath Basin are a primary driver of water quality problems along the length of the Klamath River, including algal blooms in the Klamath Hydroelectric Project reservoirs. Municipal and industrial discharges of wastewater in the Klamath Falls area add to the nutrient load.

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Aquapedia background February 10, 2014

Klamath Basin Chinook and Coho Salmon

 Klamath Basin Chinook and Coho Salmon

The Klamath Basin’s Chinook salmon and coho salmon serve a vital role in the watershed.

Together, they are key to the region’s water management, habitat restoration and fishing.

However, years of declining population have led to federally mandated salmon restoration plans—plans that complicate the diversion of Klamath water for agriculture and other uses.

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Western Water Magazine January 1, 2004

Remnants of the Past: Management Challenges of Terminal Lakes
January/February 2005

This issue of Western Water examines the challenges facing state, federal and tribal officials and other stakeholders as they work to manage terminal lakes. It includes background information on the formation of these lakes, and overviews of the water quality, habitat and political issues surrounding these distinctive bodies of water. Much of the information in this article originated at the September 2004 StateManagement Issues at Terminal Water Bodies/Closed Basins conference.

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Western Water Excerpt May 1, 2000 Sue McClurgRita Schmidt Sudman

The Klamath River Basin: A Microcosm of Water in the West
May/Jun 2000

The story of the Klamath River is the story of two basins.

In the upper basin, farming has long been the way of life. Even before passage of the 1902 Reclamation Act, settlers had begun the arduous process of reclaiming vast tracts of wetlands and transforming them into rich farmland.

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