[env-trinity] Redding.com: Tribe bashes federal officials....

[FISH1IFR at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/16/2012 8:24:36 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
andrew at wildcalifornia.org writes:

Fair  enough.  However, what about irrigation deliveries?  That is the one  
variable that has been left out.  The real question and concern, is does  
less water released now mean more water available for irrigation?  That  
answer is most certainly yes, as the irrigation allocation is not determined  
right now. 
It  is great to be budgeting water, but the agency needs to be straight 
about all  of the reasons why the flows are low right now.  It would make 
common  sense to say that it is for irrigation deliveries as well as for ESA  
compliance. 
Andrew J. Orahoske 
Conservation  Director 
Environmental  Protection Information Center
Andrew.... 
 
One serious problem with the current water management  system in the Upper 
Klamath Basin is that irrigation deliveries ARE a major  and largely 
uncontrolled variable, EVERY YEAR.  The BOR has no other  choice -- after meeting 
ESA legal obligations -- but to fight over every bit of  the remaining water. 
 This type of annual conflict is the situation we  will continue to see 
indefinitely -- constant annual struggles over water,  ad hoc decision-making 
and a complete lack of predictive stability  overshadowing the entire Klamath 
Basin water management system -- until the  KBRA is finally and fully 
implemented.
 
One primary purpose of the KBRA, as you know, is to --  for the first time 
ever -- actually CAP BOR  irrigation deliveries each year as known in 
advance levels in order  to bring more CERTAINTY to the levels of water the 
irrigation system would  get in future years (as noted on the Chart previously 
sent out by Curtis Knight  to this list), but always based on actual rainfall 
(instead of political  power in the annual struggle).
 
There is at present -- i.e., without the KBRA -- no  effective upper limit 
on upper Klamath basin BOR irrigation demand, except  whatever it can use 
for the beneficial uses of irrigation.  The BOR's  Oregon State water right in 
fact is "whatever amounts of water are available and  not yet appropriated" 
as of its effective date (1906 I believe).  This  could theoretically mean 
the whole river!  The only effective constraint  then become how effective 
salmon advocates are (and can remain) in federal  Court to enforce the ESA -- 
and that provides only survival flows, not true  recovery.  
 
It is only the KBRA "caps" on BOR Project future  irrigation demands that 
promise to: (1) bring permanent predictive  stability to annual BOR Klamath 
Irrigation Project irrigation demand; (2)  align that demand with the actual 
annual rainfall supply.  This is one of  the best arguments for its full 
implementation. 
 
Otherwise, you will likely see only more of  the same annual dog fights -- 
which can only get worse as total average  flows diminish with accelerating 
climate change, as is being  predicted.   
 
In short, the kinds of serious water management  problems and conflicts we 
are seeing this year and likely next in the  Klamath Basin are because the 
KBRA has NOT yet been implemented, not because of  it.  
 
======================================
Glen H. Spain, Northwest  Regional Director
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations  (PCFFA)
PO Box 11170, Eugene, OR 97440-3370
Office: (541)689-2000 Fax:  (541)689-2500
Web Home Page: _www.pcffa.org_ (http://www.pcffa.org/) 
Email:  fish1ifr at aol.com
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