The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sought to clarify their position on using Trinity River restoration water for staving off another Klamath fish kill in a letter to the restoration program director this week.

Even as agencies and stakeholders met to map out how restoration would proceed this year, the Wednesday letter was sent insisting no decision had been made to use the Trinity water for anything other than restoration. The federal agencies were only asking whether the Trinity Management Council believes a minor reduction in Trinity releases in the spring is viable, and whether it's scientifically sound to store it for release to the Klamath in the fall instead.

In an April 11 letter, Reclamation Regional Director Kirk Rodgers and Fish and Wildlife California-Nevada Office Manager Steve Thompson wrote Trinity Restoration Program Director Doug Schleusner:

 

"Given our previously stated responsibilities and limited management flexibility, we would like to consider options for reducing the potential for a serious die-off of adult salmon in the lower Klamath River by releasing an appropriate volume of water into the Trinity River at the most effective time in late summer or early fall. The volume of water will be considered part of the water year allocation specified in the Dec. 19, 2000 Record of Decision."

They then asked Schleusner to come to the management council meeting with flow schedule recommendations and pros and cons of the approach.

But in Wednesday's letter, Rodgers and Thompson wrote that they have "made no decision regarding the scientific sufficiency of additional flows, nor have we made a determination as to a particular source of water to support such flows or the legal sufficiency of utilizing a particular source."