Science and Water

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Water Quality

Having been presented with a draft of Klamath River Basin Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL), Klamath Water Users Association is seeking to assist our member irrigation districts in taking a proactive approach with respect to water quality maintenance and improvement in the region. The Klamath and Lost Rivers were the primary focus of this TMDL study, and as of current there have not been solid suggestions for remedying the perceived water quality deficiencies of these two navigable water bodies by the agencies in charge of issuing the TMDL draft, namely the United States EPA/Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Oregon Department of Agricultural/ and the California North Coast Water Quality Control Board. Pending the final draft of the TMDL study, along with a Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP), KWUA intends to investigate opportunities to partner with other Basin management entities.

Water Quantity

As of March 18, 2010 a new Biological Opinion (BO) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/ National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has been adopted for the Klamath River. This biological opinion has been on the shelf since 2008 and given the difficult water year ahead now was the time to adopt this BO, both for fisheries and irrigation interests.

With the adoption of this new BO for the Klamath River, the court ordered flow mandate has now been lifted. This will allow more collaborative management of river flows with our neighbors in the Basin.

The Upper Klamath Lake BO which was adopted in 2008 is still in effect. US Fish and Wildlife service will operate within this BO to protect fish species and divert water to the Klamath Reclamation Project when possible.

As of March 2010 there has not been a defined start date for Klamath Project irrigation diversions. Once Upper Klamath Lake meets the BO line with its elevation, and Klamath River flows are managed adequately to meet the river BO, diversions may begin. KWUA continues to track water levels with a weekly real-time mangement group, and will report as soon as we have a defined start date.