Our Klamath Basin
Water Crisis
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own property, and caretake our wildlife and natural resources.
‘March miracle’ brings sign of spring
Community welcomes
sight of full and flowing A Canal
by ALEX POWERS, Herald
and News 4/7/12
H&N photos by Alex
Powers Klamath Union High School principal Jeff Bullock
stands at the A Canal near the high school on Friday
afternoon.
As water moves from its
origins in Upper Klamath Lake to about 1,200 to 1,400
irrigators
“That’s what we want to
see this time of year,” said Greg Addington, executive
director of Klamath Water Users Association. “And three
weeks ago, we weren’t sure it was going to happen.”
The Klamath Basin
community can a sigh
after a “miracle March”
that increased lake levels and snowpack — the primary
seasonal storage for lake water — and turned the tide for
irrigators.
In the city, residents
and business leaders say, a full canal is a sign of spring.
Vegetation lines the A
Canal under a bridge near Klamath Union High School Friday
afternoon
At Klamath Union High
School, the A Canal wraps around the school building and
seniors traditionally go for a springtime swim in the water,
Principal Jeff Bullock
said.
“When it’s empty, it’s
kind of sad,” he said. “And when it’s full, people feel good
about that.”
Farmers, ranchers and
other growers in the county will be preparing to irrigate
crops including
alfalfa, hay, and grains such as wheat, said Bair Farms
owner Ed Bair. Row crops like potato and onion will begin
springing up later in the year.
Just three weeks ago,
Addington said, irrigators were pressuring county and state
officials to declare a drought. Growers were concerned
canals would remain empty.
“And now we have
water in the canals and
more than 100 percent snowpack,” he said. “It was a miracle
March.”
Addington said
irrigators and farmers can count on the water being
available when growing
season begins.
No one is using the
water yet, he said, “but it’s got to be there for people to
use it in a timely fashion.”
Side Bars
What does water in the
canals mean for Klamath Falls?
Jeff Bullock, Klamath
Union High principal
“I think as a community,
we breathe a collective sigh of relief. We know how
important that A Canal is to our agriculture industry. “It’s
another event at Klamath Union that signals the coming of
spring, and it signals the revitalization of the Klamath
Basin. It means winter is over. People are going to be
outside. They’re going to be gainfully employed in
meaningful work and our community is going to benefit from
that.”
Todd Kellstrom,
Klamath Falls mayor
“It’s
kind of a rite of spring.
“We like (canals) full.
It serves as testimony to all of our hardworking people,
including those who constructed the Reclamation system in
the first place — to bring water to an otherwise arid land.”
Trish Seiler,
Klamath Falls City Council
“I think people say it’s
a real sign of spring, for one thing. But you’re also
talking about a $300 million impact on the economy.
“Those who have been
here a long time don’t give it much mind. It’s a part of
town, it’s a
Ed Bair, owner,
Bair Farms
“It means we’re going to
start irrigating. And that’s good news, water in the canals.
“You have to consider we had a miracle March.”
A Canal full and
flowing - Water availability still a concern
Irrigators still are concerned water won’t be
available through the entire growing season.
The start of irrigation on the Klamath Reclamation Project
will depend on weather, said Greg Addington, executive
director of the Klamath Water Users Association. Likewise,
the amount of water required over the growing season will
depend on how much precipitation falls during the next few
months.
Irrigation season projections released Friday by the Bureau
of Reclamation show 310,000 acre-feet of water will be
available to irrigators through the end of the irrigation
year on Sept. 30.
For now, an estimated 400,000 acre-feet of water will be
needed through autumn. The number falls in line with an
average range of 375,000 to 400,000 acre-feet, Addington
said.
On a dry year, with little precipitation, irrigators could
require as much as 430,000 to 450,000 acre-feet of water, he
said.
The amount of water available to irrigators will be
recalculated as the Natural Resources Conservation Service
provides inflow forecasts for Upper Klamath Lake through
July.
The lake provides irrigation water for 1,200 to 1,400
agricultural users on the 254,200-acre Klamath Project of
the Bureau of Reclamation.
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