Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis Upholding rural Americans

http://www.heraldandnews.com/articles/2004/05/25/news/top_stories/top1.txt

More refuge water going down Klamath River to boost flows

Larry Bigoni, a maintenance worker at the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, talks about how water from seasonal wetlands is headed downstream to the Klamath River.

Published May 25, 2004

By DYLAN DARLING

Water drained from the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is being used to bolster flows in the Klamath River, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials announced Monday.

"It's not a whole lot of water in the perspective of the Basin, but it is our chance to help wildlife on a couple of fronts," said Ron Cole, manager of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Over the next month, about 8,500 acre-feet of water will be pumped off seasonal wetlands on the Lower Klamath refuge, adding about 150 cubic feet per second to the flows in the river.

Draining the water will improve wetland habitat for birds, while the extra water will help protect salmon runs in the river, officials said.

"I don't think there are any losers here," said Dave Eshbaugh, executive director the National Audubon Society's Oregon chapter.

But some environmentalists say the move is just taking water away from already thirsty wetlands that are at the bottom of the Klamath Basin's water hierarchy.

"There is just not enough water to go around - one interest or another is going to continue to suffer until we bring demand back into balance," said Bob Hunter, an attorney for WaterWatch.

Federally managed water in the Klamath Basin goes first to protection of endangered species, second to American Indian tribes to meet trust responsibilities, third to the Klamath Reclamation Project and then to the refuges.

The Fish and Wildlife Service manages two types of wetlands on the Lower Klamath Refuge, including permanent marsh that is flooded year-round, and seasonal wetlands that are allowed to dry out in summer months.

With the draining of the seasonal marshes, Cole said officials are trying to mimic the rhythm of nature, with its fluctuating water levels.

Over the last four years, when water has been tight, refuge managers have transferred water from seasonal wetlands to permanent marsh. The wildlife service spent $80,000 to install a pump and screen unit to "recycle" the water, said Larry Bigoni, a maintenance worker for the refuges.

The pump pushed water back to the head of the refuge canal system, keeping levels up in the permanent marshes. But the recycling of water was starting to pull up salts from the soil, Cole said.

With this summer's plan, there will be about 4,500 acres of permanent marsh and about 7,500 acres of seasonal wetland being drained. Water will be allowed to evaporate slowly from another 8,100 acres of seasonal wetland.

Cole said the drying of wetlands give plants a chance to germinate and go to seed, providing food for wildlife.

This fall the Bureau of Reclamation will buy at least 2,000 acre-feet groundwater to be spread over the refuge, said Christine Karas, deputy manager of the Klamath Project.

Although that won't entirely replace the 8,500 acre-feet drained this summer, Cole said the timing of the 2,000 acre-feet in the fall will come at a critical time for migratory birds.

And the timing of the refuge's water release will help the river and the Bureau, Karas said.

"It is a lot help for the salmon downstream and it will also allow us to have higher lake levels," said Christine Karas, deputy manager of the Klamath Project.

Earlier in the year, when the mountain snowpack looked healthy, Bureau officials thought Upper Klamath Lake would fill. But that didn't happen, and now the Bureau is looking for ways to boost flows on the river.

Wendell Wood, Southern Oregon field representative for the Oregon Natural Resources Council, said it is better to have water coursing through the wetlands rather than being recycled. But he added that the underlying problem is not enough water being delivered to the refuges.

"There is no denying that the river needs more water, but there is no denying the refuges need more water," he said.

A month ago, the ONRC, along with WaterWatch, Earthjustice and the Wilderness Society, released a report outlining the problems the groups see in the six Basin refuges.

The report, titled "Refuges in Peril," called for expansion of the refuges, and an increase in water allocation.

Steve Kandra, president of the Klamath Water Users Association, said the groups that put out the report don't want to work with others in the Basin to find things that will help, like the refuge putting water downstream.

"They put more money into a glossy brochure than into restoration efforts," he said.