Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis
Upholding rural Americans' rights to grow food,
own property, and caretake our wildlife and natural resources.
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Ground-Water Hydrology of the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California, Prepared by USGS in cooperation with the Oregon Water Resources Department, 5/3/07.
Facts about Barnes Acquisition by Gail Hildreth Whitsett 2/18/05
Go here for audio of Barnes Ranch snow job. This land acquisition was promised as storage for irrigators by American Land Conservancy and our government agencies. Against the will of the public and elected officials, The Nature Conservancy bought Barnes and converted it into refuge...NO 50,000 acre feet of water storage that was promised. You will enjoy the audio, furnished by KBC.
"The average consumptive use for the crop mix in the Project is just about 2.0 Acre Feet/acre. Wetlands probably use about 3.0 to 3.5 AF/acre or maybe a little more for permanently flooded wetlands with cattails and tules. So it's a little less than twice but certainly well above the use for crops." Dr. Ken Rykbost. Go HERE for Dr. Rykbost biography.
Articles, press releases and testimony:
Klamath tribes protest swan lake pumped storage (Klamath) Tribes protest Swan Lake pumped storage Hydroelectric project, H&N 11/1/16. "The Swan Lake North project, located on the Jespersen Ranch, would take five years to build and create about 170 local construction jobs, proponents say. As many as 3,000 direct and related jobs could be created under the plan...When operational, 11 workers will run the site, with 24 support jobs...use of explosives during construction could panic wildlife, the protest letter said." KBC NOTE: If the tribes oppose this hydroelectric project because it could panic wildlife during construction, what do they think happens to wildlife in the massive wilderness areas they support, with mandates to allow hundreds of thousands of acres to burn up bambies, spotted owls, eagles, bunnies, rare frogs, old growth trees, butterflies , scenic areas...?
California Water Commission Water Storage Meetings, CFBF Friday Review 7/23/15
One fix for Basin water issues may not exist.
Multiple smaller ideas could prove to be a
better long-term solution by Tom Mallams for
H&N 2/15/15. "After
reading the article “Fatally Flawed,” and the
extremely negative letter penned by Dan Keppen
mentioned in it, speaking as one Klamath County
commissioner, I feel a response is in order."
BOR PRESS RELEASE:
Releases Final Appraisal and Optimization Study
for the Long Lake Valley Off-Stream Storage
posted to KBC 11/30/10. (KBC NOTE: Keep in mind,
the authors of the KBRA, environmental NGOs,
gov't agencies, tribes and farm leaders, wrote
in the KBRA that IF offstream storage is
developed, any stored water must flow to the
ocean, not to agriculture.)
Shouldn’t water in storage go to agriculture, refuges? James Ottoman, letter to H&N 3/21/10
Family Farm Alliance Water Infrastructure Recommendations, posted 2/23/09
Water storage options, The Long Lake basin holds promise for area, H&N 11/8/08. "Addington said during KBRA negotiations, the subject of water storage was broached. 'We asked those other parties to support additional off-stream storage, which is a big step,' Addington said." (KBC note: this is what the KBRA, Klamath Settlement agreement, says about storage > "17.3. Future Storage Opportunities. Page 90: 17.3.1. Technical Investigation. A. Klamath Basin. Pursuant to the Klamath Basin Water Supply Enhancement Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-498), and given sufficient appropriations, Reclamation shall complete a Feasibility Report for off-stream storage by September 30, 2011. The Parties shall thereafter support ongoing investigations of additional storage." Of the billion dollars to downsize agriculture on and off Project, decrease the power rate for irrigators, plant salmon and fish parasites/lamprey in the Klamath Basin, buy a forest for the Klamath Tribes that they sold, in addition to the possibly billions of dollars to tear out the hydro dams and deal with the communities and silt, this above mention of 'off-stream storage' agrees that "investigations' and a report are completed in 3 years. Four years ago the Bureau said they were doing studies on Long Lake for additional water. Scroll to page 91 in the KBRA for what the stored water will be used for. Who would decide? The Task Force with representatives from 26 agencies, environmentalists, tribes, and one Project irrigator.
Environmental laws wedge state into hydrological corner, By Congressmen GEORGE RADANOVICH and JIM COSTA posted September 25, 2008. "...California has slowly painted itself into a corner by reprioritizing water supplies to the environment while ignoring the need for improving our water supply, infrastructure and storage."
Bureau of Reclamation moving ahead on storage studies, H&N, posted 2/26/08. "The effort is in the appraisal stage and will be completed in 2011." (KBC NOTE: Settlement does not include funds to create Long Lake storage. We were told several years ago that the Bureau was studying Long Lake, and now they will still be studying it for 3 more years???)
Governor stresses need to store water (in E. Oregon), Oregonian 11/9/07. (KBC NOTE: we could use the Governor's support to develop cold water storage in the Klamath Basin in Long Lake. At times more water goes into the ocean, in winter seasons when the fish don't need floods, than the Klamath Project uses in an entire season. But, as long as there is a 'problem,' the government and tribes have excuses to take our land and our water rights, blow up dikes, ...)
Bureau of Reclamation Responses to Senator Whitsett’s Written Questions regarding Barnes Ranch acquisition, by Jon Hicks and Cecil Lesley. (KBC NOTE: The Bureau gave Whitsett these "draft" answers in 2006 with the "final" soon to come. Upon request of the "final" answers, today, 10/9/07, Leslie sent these to KBC stating, "Attached are our responses to Senator Whitsett's questions; the Draft answers are our final answers." Thank you very much Mr. Leslie!)
Officials push Long Lake plans, H&N 8/9/07.
Long Lake part of the answer to water problems, H&N 7/23/07
Long Lake studies under way, H&N 7/15/07. "Long Lake would have less evaporation. It also might provide colder water that f ish thrive on. Hicks said geological drilling conducted two and a half years ago indicated the lake bed could hold 350,000 acre-feet of water without being porous. Depth would be about 160 feet."
Push the studies on feasibility of Long Lake, H&N posted to KBC 6/18/07.
Water Pressure, H&N, posted 6/15/07. Klamath Basin Long Lake water storage
A Bold and Necessary Move by “The Governator” by Dan Keppen, Executive Director Family Farm Alliance, Klamath Falls, Siskiyou Daily News 1/16/07 "California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last week triggered an outcry from West Coast environmental activists when he included provisions to build two new surface water storage facilities in his 2007-08 state budget."
Ca. Assemblyman (LaMalfa) glad governor discusses water, H&N, posted 1/15/07
Governor to push for new dams despite long-standing resistance, Signonsandiego.com, posted 1/8/07
Governor pushes for more water storage, CA Farm Bureau, 12/13/06.
Bill Kennedy, Chairman of the Board for the Family Farm Alliance, traveled to Redmond, Oregon and spoke to an audience that included Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Dale Hall (Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Mark Rey (Under Secretary of Department of Agriculture), Rick Otis (EPA Deputy Associate Administrator,Office of Policy Economics and Innovation) and Bob Lohn (NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator). Attached is Bill’s written testimony, which was submitted for the record on behalf of the Alliance. Posted to KBC 9/2/06
Alliance Responds to Misguided CBO Report regarding water allocation, Family Farm Alliance, posted to KBC 9/2/06
(Barnes Ranch) marsh on Upper Klamath Lake moving
forward, Oregonian 7/10/06
OK - compare the costs, by Dan Keppen, Executive Director Family Farm Alliance, Klamath Falls. (this is a response to the ONRC opinion on Long Lake storage) 6/15/06, FOLLOWED BY: column by ONRC's Steve Pedery about Long Lake June 11. More on Long
Deep water storage remains the true answer, H&N 5/21/06.
It's time to do something with Basin's surplus water, H&N posted to KBC 4/5/06
Water for New Demands Must Come from New Storage....or it Will Come from Agriculture by Dan Keppen, Family Farm Alliance Executive Director, posted to KBC 3/8/06
Wyden , Smith Secure Funds For Oregon Natural Resource Projects, Josephine County News 6/13/05
Solving the water crisis, it's a somewhat crazy concept - But, you know what? It could work to address all the water problems, by Lance Waldren, Pioneer Press, posted 4/16/07
Water for New Demands Must Come from New Storage, or it Will Come from Agriculture by Dan Keppen, Family Farm Alliance Executive Director, Klamath Falls, OR. 3/16/06 "The roaring river flows we have seen in the past several weeks ought to make every sensible person question the activists’ claims about "too little water". On New Year’s Eve, measurements on the Klamath River showed that flows over 400,000 cubic feet per second were being discharged to the Pacific Ocean. That flow rate equates to approximately 800,000 acre-feet of water in one day. By comparison, the Klamath Irrigation Project and adjacent national wildlife refuges use approximately 350,000 acre-feet of water in an entire typical irrigation season."
Recent weather makes case for water storage, H&N 1/8/06. "Basin interests have been pushing for water storage at Long Lake, a dry lake northwest of Klamath Falls, and attracted the interest of the Bureau of Reclamation to study it. It's been estimated it could hold 350,000 to 500,000 acre-feet, and could be as much as 200 feet deep."
Energy bill directs BOR to develop storage report posted 7/31/05 sent from Family Farm Alliance
“Storage big part of answer for water problems”, by Dan Keppen for Family Farm Alliance, H&N 5/23/05
needed in Basin, H&N 5/22/05
Refuge expansion proposed, H&N 4/13/05.
Long Lake reservoir, H&N 3/7/05. (Several years ago the irrigators were asked to find storage. They found Long Lake, deep cold water storage. Here we are, 2005, the Bureau of Reclamation is beginning to drill holes and will still be studying the concept for years. At the same time they are downsizing the Project irrigated agriculture by 1/3 with the mandatory water bank. However they support the Barnes Ranch acquisition, which will further take more ag land out of production to add to the government's 100,000 acres of acquired ag land in the upper basin, making shallow warm water storage that will further harm the water quality and increase evapo-transpiration. KBC)
Feds seek contract to flood Barnes Ranch, H&N 2/14/05.
Basin bucks budget trend,
"Nearly $63 million is earmarked in President Bush's
proposed 2006 Interior Department budget for Klamath Basin water
issues...Also included is $6 million to buy the Barnes Ranch near Upper
Klamath Lake, which would improve water quality and restore fish
HERE for more on Barnes. Over
of agricultural land
as primary water usage
(above Klamath Lake) has been converted to wetlands. Wetlands
use over 2ce as much water as ag lands. This will be shallow warm
water, possible increasing the phosphorus loading, and will cost
millions more to make 25' dikes if it were to be used for storage.
How about a different approach to water storage? Herald and News guest editorial 11/29/04
PRESS RELEASE: Doolittle: House Sends CalFed to President's Desk, Storage Vital to Entire Program 10/6/04
Even now the federal agencies ask us for local solutions. We find
solutions. We found them 40 years ago. They do nothing---read on:
Letter asks for priority on Klamath water storage, H&N 8/30/04.
KWUA Media Advisory:
the wake of a recent field hearing held in Klamath Falls, the Chairman
of the House Resources Committee sends letters to U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation Commissioner and Assistant U.S. Interior Secretary"
Cut Long Lake's costs, keep water storage project moving ahead, H&N 4/12/04, by Dan Keppen, Executive Director of Klamath Water Users Association.
Bureau study says Long Lake is solid on the bottom, H&N 3/31/04. "...more than 20 other groups - including five counties in Southern Oregon and Northern California - have drafted letters in support of such a study." "If the valley is found to be a good place to store water, construction could begin after 2010." (the US Gov't can come up with funds to downsize Klamath Agriculture with a mandatory waterbank, spending millions of dollars, essentially downsizing the Klamath Basin economy, however they cannot come up with funds now to study and build this water storage! KBC jdk)
Background and support for technical analysis, Long Lake, Klamath County, Oregon, by the Klamath County Board of Commissioners. "It has been suggested that by using pumped storage, Long Lake could store 350,000 acre-feet of water annually without the construction of a dam. The water depth would average approximately 200 feet, providing stored water at a significantly cooler temperature and with less evaporative loss than Upper Klamath Lake." Submitted to KBC 3/22/04 by KCC. (25 organizations, groups and businesses have given support to study Long Lake, including irrigation districts, Klamath and Hoopa Tribes. Has the analysis begun? Why? KBC jdk)
New estimate given for Barnes Ranch, H&N's, 3/7/04, "The most recent calculation comes from an appraiser hired by the Bureau of Reclamation who pegged the value of the 2,800-acre Barnes Ranch $5.9 million."
Don't be too quick to write off Long Lake's value, H&N 1/12/04
Long Lake is a good price, H&N 12/23/03. "When we are able to send clean, cold water down the river late in the season, we will get the respect of those downstream who depend on this water for fish migration. This is a move toward exercising good stewardship of the resources in our hands."
proposed storage solution!! Cold water, no conservancies, no suckers!
County ok's farmers idea for reservoir water storage, H&N 8/6/03. "Long Lake, separated from Upper Klamath Lake by a mountain ridge, could store between 350,000 and 500,000 acre-feet of water for use in the summer and fall, proponents say."
Letter to Commissioner John Elliott from The Klamath Tribes, posted to KBC 9/22/03 regarding Long Lake storage proposal.
|'Don't buy Barnes Ranch', H&N letter to the editor 9/29/03. From a Barnes neighbor.
KBC regrets and retracts and apologizes for
our mistake regarding the Barnes Ranch article (2 articles below
this). Mr. McIntyre is not a 'real estate agent or broker', as we
mistakenly wrote. He is a "consultant' (the KBC reporter did not
know that there was a difference).
----- Original Message -----
From: james fournier
Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2003 5:29 PM
Subject: KBC website mistake
This is Rich McIntyre.
On the KBC website, you have stated that I am a "real estate broker." I normally disregard your bizarre, often humorous, and slanted rantings, but not this time. Remove that statement immediately, AND issue a retraction, or the next conversation will be with my attorney. I will presume this will be dealt with within 24 hours, or by 6pm Monday.
By the way, Barnes Ranch is, as you know, and ALC project, and, for the record, I am a consultant, not a real estate agent or broker.
Herald and News
From KBC to our readers: We at KBC do our best to get accurate information to you. We use audio and direct quotes as much as possible so there will be no mistakes in our reporting. We get input from Congressional offices, BLM, BOR, OSU, KWUA, Klamath County Commissioners, colleges, farmers, scientists, ranchers and fishermen, and make corrections whenever a mistake is brought to our attention. We are farmers doing our best to share the truth and the science to the best of our abilities. We had no previous experience in journalism, webmastering, and real-estate terminology.. Please contact us when you see errors..we will correct them.
Questions remain about Barnes Ranch Purchase, H&N 7/13/03
Barnes Ranch deal far from done, H&N 5/5/03. Despite the fact that the water is warm, and high phosphorus levels may be lethal for the fish, the $9.1million Barnes property that American Land Conservancy is brokering, is still on the table. It comes with no promises of more irrigation water for the farms, and no assurance that dikes will be built for more storage.. 94,000 acres of farmland have already been converted to wetlands which USE MORE WATER THAN FARMLAND, and still no benefits to agriculture. Right now, Sump B, USFWS water storage for the farms, is being drained to encourage wetland weeds for the ducks, so this new part of the refuge can for the second year be open to duck hunting.
Congressional Delegation ponders ranch purchase, H&N 5/2/03. In spite of the illegal phosphate levels, warm water with fatal fish temperatures, and other massive land aquisitions by the federal gov't and conservancies in upper Klamath, the representatives are pushing for this latest land aquisition promising more water for the irrigators. The community does not forget all of the other land grabs made in the guise of "water storage". This land grab goes with NO ASSURANCE that Klamath irrigators will get irrigation water.
Congressional Delegation ponders ranch purchase, H&N 4/9/03.
Barnes for-profit deal, letter to the editor, H&N, 3/31/03 "We have a natural storage basin close to the lake and could store millions and millions of gallons of water in a natural reservoir at Aspen Lake on the south side of the lake. But please, please, please, check this group out".
Bureau study says Long Lake is solid on the bottom, March 30, 2004, H&N.
Lawmakers want ranch answers by Dylan Darling, H&N 3/23/03. American Land Conservancy wants to purchase Barnes Ranch. John Keyes, commissioner of Bureau of Reclamation, is being asked many questions by Oregon's Congressional delegation, such as, on 2800 acres at a price of $9.1 million: "Is there any precedent for the conservancy getting a 7.5 percent commission, or $675,000, in the sale, in addition to a 2.5 percent commission for a real estate broker?
Klamath water deal no bargain for U.S., The Oregonian by Michael Milstein. "On May 28, with no public notice, Root and the U.S. government signed the new contract, which meant the government would be paying $948,000" "It paid more than $100,000 for water that Thomas, the California rancher, in 1991 had told the state he would never use." "We wanted to show that if people were interested in coming up with good ideas that support the president's goals out there, we stood ready to give it a try," said Sue Ellen Wooldridge, deputy chief of staff for Norton." "Other landowners complain the deal with Root slammed the door on their chances to sell water at lower prices."
Commissioners OK Barnes Ranch with conditions, by H&N Jennifer Bates, 3/12/03
Make Barnes Ranch prove it's worth buying, 3/03/03, H&N Editorial, ":... the Bureau has to answer some questions raised in a Feb. 24 commentary by Doug Whitsett in the Herald and News about how much storage the Barnes Ranch actually would yield, and whether a storage and pumping regimen might increase phosphorus levels in Upper Klamath Lake. Years ago,the Bureau misjudged the capacity of the Agency Lake Ranch and needs to be dead certain with this purchase. Then it needs to give Basin agriculture credit for giving ground."
More water storage better than screens for fish populations, by Jack O'Conner, op-ed Herald&News 3/4/03: "The old Geary Ranch farm ground, now the Running Y, would be a natural storage site with very little engineering. Water could be pumped in during the winter and released in the summer to lower water temperature for the benefit of downriver salmon. That site has a potential to store half a million acre-feet (7,000 acre-feet per foot of reservoir depth.)"
Buy the Barnes Ranch for water storage? We better think this over Herald&News, 2/24/03 Douglas K. Whitsett, is a retired veterinarian affiliated with Klamath Animal Clinic, Inc., for 30 years. He and his wife own and operate two farms in the Klamath Basin where they breed and raise horses for dressage and jumping. He is past president of the Klamath County Cattlemen's Association, as well as a past president of the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association: "We question why the storage management process of repeated flooding and pumping would not re-create the phosphorous loading of Upper Klamath Lake that the original purchase of the property was alleged to prevent."
Still no backing for ranch plan, Commissioner Al Switzer said a deep reservoir with cold water is the best solution. The only way he can see to get that done is by building a dam."
Few Klamath Answers,
by Laura Brown, The Daily Triplicate, 2/21/03
Klamath Commissioners Question Barnes Ranch Purchase, "The Klamath County Board of Commissioners is not convinced the purchase of a 2,785-acre ranch for conservation purposes will help save water or farmers."
Barnes Ranch owner talks of possible sale, By LEE JUILLERAT Herald and News January 27, 2003 "ALC spokesmen said the sale price is $9.1 million, including a 7.5 percent administrative charge and cost reimbursement for brokering the deal"
Barnes Ranch deal goes to Washington - Herald and News - January 17, 2003
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