Klamath River Basin Pact Ends Decades of Water Wars

From the Environment News Service: The historic agreement is signed by key players in the region, but a sizable hurdle remains -  it doesn't become permanent until it is fully funded, and that will require federal money. That's not so easy these days, especially for as controversial a project as this.

Feds to supplement Klamath River with Trinity Water

The BOR is releasing water from the Trinity River into the Klamath to try and prevent a disaster like the 2002 fish kill or a disease outbreak. The cooler water will be released as salmon start to move up the Klamath and will continue through September.

Article here.

Study: Klamath Dam Removal Less Costly Than Expected

A new Interior Department study projects the cost of removing the four main dams on the Klamath River to be much less than anticipated and the evironmental impact, particularly for spawning salmon, to be substantial.

There are still many hurdles before the dams actually come down, but this is another important step in the process.

Here's the AP article.

Battle Goes On...

Here's a piece in High Country News about the continued battle in the Klamath River region. As mentioned before, removing those dams and satisfying all the stakeholders from the source of the river in Oregon to the mouth of the river in California is sure to be a long process of legal and regulatory fights. And, as in much of the West, there is just not enough water to satisfy everyone (and everything).  

Deal to raze 4 Klamath dams

Can't wait to film this in 2020. Hope it stands up through the inevitable lawsuits.

Another Step in the Removal of the Dams on the Klamath

Still a long way to go, but more progress than many expected from this Administration.

In twenty years, salmon may once again swim the length of the Klamath River.

Buffett again rebuffs advocates who want Klamath dams out

From the AP: "American Indian tribes and salmon fisherman were rebuffed a second time Saturday in their bid to win support from billionaire Warren Buffett for a proposal to remove four hydroelectric dams from the Klamath River."

The road gets tougher for the dams coming down. It's unlikely that regulators from California, Oregon and the federal government will force PacifiCorp to pull down those dams. And even if they tried, who's going to pay for it? PacifiCorp would tie it up in court for years. Meanwhile, the lower river tribes and the salmon will continue to struggle.

Deal on Dams on Klamath Advances

The New York Times reports on the landmark $1 billion agreement between the upstream and downstream interests in the Klamath Basin. It's potentially a milestone; just the fact that these groups with such conflicting interests were able to sit down and negotiate such a deal is remarkable.

When I was doing the reporting for the documentary, I heard that the opposing groups were meeting (in secret at that time) and trying to reach some common ground. I admit I thought the prospects were dim they'd get this far.

Yet the cold fact is that it is still basically up to PacifiCorp if the dams are to be removed and key parts of this agreement implemented. And I believe chances of that are slim. There are huge costs, monumental engineering challenges, and many intervening variables; including conflicting government jurisdictions and environmental concerns that still have not been resolved.

I hope I'm wrong. As I pointed out above, I never thought they'd get this far. But there still is a long way to go before we see those dams come down and the historic salmon runs reopened in one of the most beautiful regions of the west.

On the Klamath River, a salmon is worth $200

An article in the SF Chronicle on the economic impact of sport fishing in California. Total for the California economy spent by fishermen per year: $2 billion. The full report is on www.caltrout.org.

Central Valley salmon largely absent from fall run

I first heard about the small number of returning salmon to the Sacramento and other rivers in early September, yet there was still hope for increasing returns as we went deeper into fall. Now it seems, from this excellent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, the dearth of salmon is throughout northern California's rivers and extends into Oregon.

Why? Insufficient krill, low water flows, juvenile salmon deaths in years past are all possibilities, and it seems many of the problems on the Klamath River are spreading to other river systems that formerly had strong runs of fall salmon.

Our next documentary is on the myriad problems with the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. For more info contact info(at)veriscope.com.

Washington Post series describes Cheney's impact on the Klamath controversy

This story is part of the Washington Post's terrific series on Vice President Cheney and his role in the Bush Administration. This is great reporting on the Klamath situation; Cheney's role and the quotes from Interior Department officials are stunning and show just how important this regional battle over water and fish was in the beginning of the Bush presidency.

In an ironic twist, Dylan Glenn, who was the main character in a documentary we made (Dylan's Run) before the one on the Klamath, is listed in the series as one of the "cast of characters" and is quoted in the article about the Klamath.

Battle for the Klamath airs on FSTV on April 25th

The documentary airs nationally throughout the day on Dish Network Channel 9415 and cable stations in 34 states. Broadcast times (EST): 9am, 2pm and 8pm.

Court upholds water for fish before farms

"A federal appeals court Wednesday upheld a ruling forcing a federal irrigation project to boost flows in the Klamath River to help threatened salmon, even if it means shutting off water to farms." Hopefully, this ends the litigation and opens the door to a cooperative solution between upstream and downstream interests. Read more...

Dueling studies about the cost of Klamath Dams

Over the last few months three studies were published arguing the financial pros and cons of PacifiCorp removing the Klamath Dams. The latest, by the California Energy Commission, reaffirmed an earlier study arguing that it's cheaper for PacifiCorp to remove the dams than to install new fish ladders and other technology to aid spawning salmon. Read the piece in the LA Times.