Balancing the Klamath Basin

Balancing the Klamath Basin

The Klamath Basin was once one of the largest salmon producers on the West Coast, starting at the Klamath Basin, going through the Cascade Mountains, and all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This beautiful river was once full of natural wildlife, such as Chinook, Coho, Pinks, Chum, abundant steelhead salmon, and an enormous amount of waterfowl. However, the Klamath salmon have declined to about 10% of their original population, and the Coho have been placed on the Threatened list of the Federal Endangered Species Act, which is just one step up from being considered endangered. These salmon have always been considered a significant food source for the Native Americans, commercial fisherman, and sports enthusiasts, but some drastic changes to the Klamath River have threatened the salmon population. Hydroelectric power plants that have been placed on the river have significantly reduced the number of salmon spawning in the rivers and tributaries and lowered the water levels. Today, conflicts over water resources in the Klamath River are a major issue. Important elements to this dilemma include; waterfowl, diversion, salinization, floods, and salmon population. We must work together to solve the controversial issues that involve the farmers and the hydroelectric power plants on the Klamath River to ensure a healthy population to the salmon.

One of the main problems between farmers and the salmon is that they are both in great need of the water in the Klamath Basin. Historically, the Klamath River has been modified by man for the last 100 years. In 1907, the bureau of Reclamation entered the Upper Klamath Basin with a project to "Let the deserts bloom" (Spain 2) This project was to divert the water, alter the upper basin's natural water flow, and farm what is now a dry lake bed. Currently, the Klamath Irrigation Project covers 204,000 acres of land that is used for farming. By putting these farmers into business, this increased the demands on water. In April 7, 2001, some changes were made, leaving farmers with no water. That year, the farmers lost most if not all of their crops due to the lack of irrigation, which put many of the farmers into debt. Some of these farmers were so badly hurt that they had to sell off their equipment and some of their land to get by. While the farmers were losing their crops, the water level in the Klamath River was restored to its normal flows, causing the salmon population to rise. While it may seem that this helped the environment, it really made it even worse. The Klamath Basin is known for its waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, and not to mention the Bald Eagle (Baccus 3). The Klamath refuge has the largest number of Bald Eagles in all of the U.S. other than Alaska. As the salmon got all of the water, the amount of waterfowl in the Klamath Basin decreased dramatically; this in turn hurt the Bald Eagles. That next year, President Bush had a different outlook on this situation. The water rights turned the other way, leaving more water for the farmers and less for the salmon. So obviously, the farmers were happy growing all of their crops, but then again the salmon were dying off. The salmon and the farmers both need to find a state of balance so that the Klamath River will have a regular flow for both. So what would be a good way to make both sides happy? One way to keep both sides at an equal balance is to find a different way for the farmers to get water. To do this, one solution would be for the farmers to use pivots in their fields instead of regular water lines. A pivot is an irrigation system that is in a form of an overhead sprinkler. These pivots are made to pivot around the field in a circular motion, and the best thing about these pivots is that they will run off wells, just like the well you may have at your house (New) . The second way to better balance the water utilization is to let the farmers take the water part time of the year, when they need it for their crops; when they are done, close the water back off so that the salmon will receive it during their main runs up the river. If these were in consideration, this would help both the farmers and the salmon population dramatically.

Another issue that is harming the salmon is the hydroelectric development that began in 1917, when the first of the two dams were completed, the Copco Dams. These dams