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.
For years the Klamath River came with a warning label every
summer, signs telling people not to touch water that could kill
a dog, thanks to blue-green algae blooming in the reservoirs
upstream. Two years after those reservoirs drained, the toxin
is barely showing up at all. The Angry Optimist, a nature
and science newsletter, compiled the latest data from the Karuk
and Yurok tribes, Sustainable Northwest, and CDFW. Below the
former Iron Gate Dam, where 58 percent of Karuk samples once
exceeded the public health limit for microcystin, every sample
since removal has come in under the limit, and in 82 percent
the toxin could not be detected at all. The reason traces back
to what the four reservoirs actually were: roughly 2,200 acres
of warm, still, nutrient-rich water, exactly what Microcystis
needs.
California’s State Water Resources Control Board committed to
public scoping hearings on Trinity River water quality
and flow issues after hours of debate and testimony
from tribal communities on Oct. 29. The decision came after
dozens of tribal members testified that the Bay-Delta
process failed to address major impacts on the Klamath-Trinity
River system. Most of the Trinity River, the Klamath’s
largest tributary, is diverted to the
Bay-Delta for use by agribusiness interests.
… The resolution the board added to the Bay-Delta Plan
falls short of what counties, tribal members and environmental
advocates requested. Those requests included a water
rights hearing, protections for federal flow
decisions and changes in temperature standards.
Wild bees are helping guide Klamath River restoration,
providing pollen data that could shape planting in former
reservoirs after dam removal. … “Sometimes you can see them
carrying in leaves, grass hairs,” said [Brissa] Garcia, a
wildlife biologist with RES, the company charged with restoring
three former reservoirs along the Klamath River in Northern
California and Southern Oregon. … RES and the Yurok Tribe
have been planting billions of seeds and thousands of trees,
shrubs, and flowering plants in the reservoir footprints. One
goal is to support pollinators, which rely on nectar and pollen
for food. Now, wild bees are helping the restoration team tweak
their palette of native plants. … RES can compare the
information the bees are bringing in with weather data and
plant monitoring data. Over time, the pollen data could help
paint a more nuanced picture of what’s happening on the ground.
The Karuk Tribe is urging California’s U.S. Senators to oppose
legislation that would make changes to federal permitting,
historic preservation protections, and environmental review
requirements. The legislation, known as the Bipartisan American
Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, or S. 5653, would make
broad changes thattribal organizations, including the Karuk
Tribe, say would alter the way federal agencies assess the
impacts of projects on tribal cultural sites and historic
properties, change water quality certification requirements,
extend the term of pollution permits, and alter certain aspects
of the endangered species review. … [Karuk Tribes natural
resources policy consultant Craig] Tucker said several
provisions the bill targets relate to the laws tribes and
environmental groups relied on during the Klamath dam removal
process. … [Karuk Vice Chair Kenneth] Brink said
weakening those authorities could make similar outcomes more
difficult to achieve in the future.
Five alternative designs could reconnect the Klamath River and
Lower Klamath refuge, restoring water flows and improving
habitat for birds and fish. A project to reconnect the Klamath
River to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge has
completed its first design phase. The partners presented the
concept at a public meeting at Oregon Tech on Tuesday night.
“There’s been enough engineering, modeling, and ingenuity to
help us understand that this is a possibility, and we can move
forward,” said DJ Bandrowski, civil engineer and program
manager at the Yurok Tribe. The Lower Klamath Lake Reconnection
Project would allow water to ebb and flow between the river and
the refuge, emulating how the ecosystem functioned before it
was altered for agriculture. Partners say restoring the
connection would provide reliable habitat for thousands of
migratory birds.
The Klamath River in the U.S. was heavily dammed over the 20th
century, blocking spawning Chinook salmon. As a result, the
population of salmon that spawned in the river, which runs
through Southern Oregon and Northern California, declined by
roughly 90%. However, a recent study found that removing the
dams resulted in a quick return of the fish to the river. In
2024, four dams were removed from the Klamath, allowing Chinook
salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) to recolonize habitat that
had been unavailable to them for roughly a century. Shortly
after the dams were removed, 7,742 Chinook salmon migrated up
the Klamath River past the former dams. In 2025, that number
jumped to more than 13,000. The fish expanded into 345
kilometers (214 miles) of formerly blocked river, recolonizing
88% of their known historical habitat, the study found.
Tribal organizers and river‑advocacy groups are calling on
North Coast residents to show up this weekend for a salmon
dinner and later this month as the State Water Resources
Control Board prepares to vote on the Bay Delta Plan and Gov.
Gavin Newsom’s voluntary agreements, a decision they say could
weaken protections for the Trinity and Klamath rivers at a
critical moment. … The push, led by Communities United for
Water Protection and local communities, follows Gov. Gavin
Newsom’s veto of two tribal rights and environmental bills that
organizers say underscore the need for stronger river
protections. … Organizers say the Bay Delta Plan and
voluntary agreements omit key protections for the Trinity
River, including carryover storage and cold‑water safeguards,
and eliminate the releases that help prevent Klamath fish
kills.
On this first-ever Foundation water tourwe examined water issues along the 263-mile Klamath River, from its spring-fed headwaters in south-central Oregon to its redwood-lined estuary on the Pacific Ocean in California.
Running Y Resort
5500 Running Y Rd
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
The dam removal projects- aimed at sustaining the salmon
population, are underway, with the latest drawdown being three
reservoirs on the Klamath River. The removal process has
already dramatically changed the landscape in Southern Oregon
and far Northern California, along the course of the river. The
lowest of the three remaining dams- Iron Gate, was initially
breached on January 9, followed by the J.C. Boyle reservoir on
January 16. A concrete plug in the tunnel at the base of Copco
1 was blasted away on January 23, with the reservoirs draining
quickly, leaving vast expanses of fissured mud that was the
consistency and color of chocolate cake batter. Shaping its new
course, the Klamath River is winding through the bare
landscape, but the transformation has had some unintended
consequences and saddened some residents.
…Tuesday, the State Water Resources Control Board took
action to protect the salmon,
unanimously extending the region’s
expired emergency drought measures. Ground and surface
water for farms will be restricted for another year if flows in
the Shasta and Scott rivers dip below minimum thresholds. State
officials say these measures are likely to kick in next
year. Water board chair Joaquin Esquivel said action
is needed because “a fish emergency” remains on the rivers.
“Time isn’t our friend,” he said at a previous meeting in
August. “There is an urgency.” The water board also
is investigating the possibility of permanent requirements to
keep more water in the rivers, after the Karuk Tribe and the
fishing industry petitioned the state for stronger protections.
That decision, however, could take years.
The Klamath River Basin was once one
of the world’s most ecologically magnificent regions, a watershed
teeming with salmon, migratory birds and wildlife that thrived
alongside Native American communities. The river flowed rapidly
from its headwaters in southern Oregon’s high deserts into Upper
Klamath Lake, collected snowmelt along a narrow gorge through the
Cascades, then raced downhill to the California coast in a misty,
redwood-lined finish.
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.
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.
Headwaters 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Water Education Foundation’s second edition of
the Layperson’s Guide to The Klamath River Basin is
hot off the press and available for purchase.
Updated and redesigned, the easy-to-read overview covers the
history of the region’s tribal, agricultural and environmental
relationships with one of the West’s largest rivers — and a
vast watershed that hosts one of the nation’s oldest and
largest reclamation projects.
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.
The Pacific Flyway is one of four
major North American migration routes for birds, especially
waterbirds, and stretches from Alaska in the north
to Patagonia in 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, 95 percent of historic
wetlands have been lost, yet the Central Valley hosts some of the
world’s largest populations of wintering birds.
The Klamath River Basin is one of the West’s most important and
contentious watersheds.
The watershed is known for its unusual geography straddling
California and Oregon. Unlike many western rivers, the
Klamath does not originate in snowcapped mountains but rather on
a volcanic plateau.
A broad patchwork of spring-fed streams and rivers in
south-central Oregon drains into Upper Klamath Lake and down into
Lake Ewauna in the city of Klamath Falls. The outflow from Ewauna
marks the beginning of the 263-mile Klamath River.
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.
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.
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.
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.
