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.
Just a day after it ignited on July 29th, California’s McKinney
Fire exploded in intensity, burning so hot that it exceeded a
satellite sensor’s ability to measure it while lofting multiple
fire clouds high into the atmosphere. Now, heavy rains in the
area have sent torrents of water, mud and debris down streams,
knocking out a bridge and inuring a man who was helping to
battle the blaze — which has grown to a third of the size of
New York City.
A fire big enough to make its own lightning used to be as rare
as it sounds. But the McKinney fire, which erupted Friday [ in
the Klamath National Forest], generated four separate thunder
and lightning storms within its first 24 hours
alone. … The troposphere is where weather happens,
and where eye-searing clouds of smoke and soot circulate even
from moderately sized fires. But when a smoke column such as
those emanating from the McKinney fire shoots through that
layer and enters the stratosphere — the higher, more stable
layer above — it creates havoc with local weather and seeds the
Earth’s atmosphere with aerosol pollutants whose consequence
science is still sorting out.
In just one weekend, the McKinney Fire, fueled by strong winds
and high temperatures, burned more than 55,000 acres in
Northern California, becoming the state’s largest wildfire so
far this year. The blaze is only the beginning of the West’s
fire season, which traditionally peaks between mid-July and
October. All fires need fuel and a spark. In the West,
fuel is plenty, with flammable pine needles, shrubs and grasses
that can ignite easily. And while the region’s dry vegetation
has always made it prone to fires, climate change
is intensifying wildfires and lengthening fire
season.
The Klamath Basin is one of the most iconic watersheds in North
America. It’s also one of the most troubled. The basin, which
spans 15,751 square miles along the remote California-Oregon
border, was once considered the “Everglades of the West” for
its network of more than 440,000 acres of
wetlands. … From a tribal lawyer laser-focused on
protecting her people’s salmon-fishing traditions to a
biologist doing everything he can to preserve the remnants of
the basin’s wetlands, these are the people fighting to return
the Klamath to its former glory. This is their river.
A wildfire in far northern California, near the border with
Oregon, grew from ignition on Friday afternoon to become the
state’s biggest fire so far this year, at nearly 52,500 acres
by Sunday evening. The latest: At least two people were found
dead in a car in a residential driveway on Sunday morning in
the town of Klamath River, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office
wrote on Facebook on Monday. … The big
picture: The McKinney Fire is affecting an area
that is experiencing a drought, heat wave and
dangerous weather conditions with dry thunderstorms Sunday and
Monday. These storms will spark lightning strikes but little
rain.
Yesterday, Secretary Deb Haaland’s Chief of Staff killed off
any hope of a negotiated settlement of pending claims against
the Trump administration for financial misconduct,
environmental depredation, and violation of tribal
sovereignty and fishing rights in California’s Trinity
River. Even though the Trinity River has sustained the
Hupa People since time immemorial. For over a year, the Hoopa
Valley Tribal Council made repeated and urgent written requests
to meet with the Secretary to settle litigation the Tribe filed
in August 2020 against Secretary Haaland’s predecessor,
David Bernhardt. All requests went unanswered.
Citizens of the Klamath Tribes will host a two-day community
event, “Rally for the C’waam and Koptu”, highlighting the
importance of these endemic fish, also known as the Lost River
suckerfish and shortnose suckerfish. This free event will take
place this Friday July 22 and Saturday 23 in Chiloquin with a
caravan rally to nearby Klamath Falls on Saturday. … C’waam
and Koptu once inhabited the Upper Klamath Lake in the
millions, but today, only 4,000 Koptu and less than 20,000
C’waam remain.
A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a 15-year plan for
several drought-stricken wildlife refuges along the Oregon and
California border against challenges by agribusiness and
conservation groups alike. The three decisions by the 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals mark a stalemate in a century-old
water war in the Klamath Basin, where a federal irrigation
project to support farming began in 1906 and the nation’s first
wildlife refuge was established in 1908. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service’s 2017 Comprehensive Conservation Plan drew
fire from agribusiness for regulating farming practices in the
Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex, while
conservationists argued the restrictions did not go far enough.
On the precipice of the largest dam removal project in U.S.
history, researchers at Oregon State University are partnering
with a northern California tribe to envision what lies ahead
for the Klamath River. Demolition of the J.C. Boyle, Copco 1,
Copco 2 and Iron Gate dams could begin as early as next year,
though federal energy regulators are still reviewing plans
submitted by the Klamath River Renewal Corp. to decommission
and raze the structures. Removal of the four dams is expected
to open 400 miles of upstream spawning habitat for endangered
salmon. It will also dramatically alter parts of the river
system, impacting water quality, water use and the aquatic food
web.
On Sunday, dozens of families and young people showed up to
clean trash out of the Trinity River. The clean up — which
involved the Hoopa Valley Tribe, Save California Salmon, and
the Warrior Institute — also served as an educational event
with river rafting and stopping at various cultural sites
featuring speakers from the Hoopa Tribe who addressed the long
history over the battle for water rights regarding the river.
Northern California tribes have long battled the state and
agriculture industry for water rights on their ancestral home,
and Central California agriculture significantly impacts the
river and salmon that live in it.
At just seven years old, Hoopa activist and water protector
Danielle Rey Frank attended her first protest on the Hoopa
Valley Reservation in Northern California where she grew up. “I
went to my first in-person water dam protest with my father,”
says Frank, now 18. “It’s been an intergenerational fight to
get these dams taken down. My great uncle was the one who
actually proposed it—and the fight is still happening right
now.” Since that first rally, Frank has been heavily involved
in the fight to restore water levels in her community. “If
these rivers dry up, the salmon will die, and we’re not going
to be able to make baskets or do our traditional boat dances,”
she says.
A coalition led by Indigenous leaders from the Pit River, Hoopa
Valley, Winnemem Wintu, Yurok, Karuk, Pomo, and Miwok Tribes,
along with Indigenous scientists, and water protectors say that
the Sites Reservoir is a continuation of the state’s original
racist water policies, which prioritized dispossessing land
from its Native stewards to fuel the economic interests of
farmers and ranchers. Rather than manage water levels to
prepare for climate impacts, the reservoir’s construction will
likely exacerbate the very conditions of climate change that
state officials argue it will protect against, like flooding,
parched river beds, algal blooms, and other types of
pollution.
Rhonda Nyseth’s well dried up on Sept. 15, 2021, nine months
after she bought her house in Klamath Falls. … Last
summer, she helped oversee the distribution of more than 100
water tanks, each holding 500-gallons, to residents in Klamath
County with empty wells. Neighbors saw their wells dry up, but
she thought if hers still had water by Sept. 1, after the heavy
agricultural irrigation season, she wouldn’t be personally
affected by the ongoing drought. Just a few weeks later, she
was on the free water delivery list. She is among hundreds
of people relying on weekly water deliveries through a state
and county water program established to deal with the county’s
third year of drought.
California’s once-abundant salmon runs are on the verge of
collapse. That’s a tragedy, but this story is bigger than the
extinction of an iconic fish that once fed millions of people
and was the basis of thriving commercial, tribal and sport
fisheries. … Our salmon are flirting with extinction because
they’re not getting the cold water they need to survive.
… Although they were aware of the growing water crisis,
state and federal water managers have drawn down reservoirs
rapidly over the past three years, leaving cold water — indeed,
any water — in short supply. Why? To provide water to a small
subset of commercial growers. -Written by Tom Stokely, a member of the board of
the California Water Impact Network, a nonprofit working
for the equitable distribution of water resources.
Oregon State University researchers will embark in July on a
3½-year partnership with the Yurok Tribe to study what the
connections between river quality, water use and the aquatic
food web will look like after four Klamath River dams are
dismantled. … The joint project with the Yurok Tribe is the
first attempt to represent tribal knowledge in decision
processes in the Klamath Basin, she said. The Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, along with the utility PacifiCorp and
the states of California and Oregon, are poised to sign off on
the removal of the lower four dams on the Klamath River: the
J.C. Boyle Dam in Oregon and the Copco 1, Copco 2 and
Iron Gate dams in California.
Four dams in the Klamath River along the Oregon and California
border are in the process of being removed. But that means
reservoirs previously used as a water source for firefighting
will ultimately be gone too. The Klamath River Renewal
Corporation is overseeing the removal of the dams. We learn
more from Mark Bransom, CEO of the organization, about what’s
being done to balance dam removal and firefighting in the
region.
California’s largest lumber company is closing public access to
its vast holdings of forestland in the state, citing wildfire
concerns. Sierra Pacific Industries last week said concerns
over extreme drought conditions and increasing wildfire risks
are prompting the company to close its forests to public access
starting July 1. The closures could last through fall 2022.
… California is currently under drought emergency
orders, as the state recently saw its driest January, February
and March on record in 100 years, according to state officials.
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.
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
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.
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.
