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What's In The News:
July 4,
2009 -
In a press release from the Department of the
Interior on June 30th, Secretary of the
Interior Ken Salazar said, "A final agreement on water
management and dam removal in the Klamath River Basin in
Oregon and California is 'within reach' and should be
completed by the end of summer." The Department of the
Interior, the State of Oregon, the State of California
and PacifiCorp have agreed to extend the deadline for a
final agreement on the future of the Klamath
Hydroelectric Project from June 30, 2009 to September
2009 to allow for the completion of settlement work that has
been ongoing since the parties reached an Agreement in Principle
in November 2008. The Agreement in Principle, which has since
been joined by 22 other stakeholders, lays the parameters for an
agreement which - if signed by the parties and ratified by
Congress – would create a local solution that would rebuild the
Klamath fishery and sustain agricultural communities who rely on
the Klamath River for their livelihoods. Read more from Salazar:
Klamath Basin Agreement “Within Reach”.
Local reaction can be found in this
Klamath Falls Herald and News article:
September deadline set
for Klamath dam removal pact.
Bus loads of Central Valley farmers
brought the battle for water to San Francisco.
They crowded in front of house speaker Nancy
Pelosi's office complaining about federal
environmental laws that are restricting their access to
cheap water. The farmers say they're being cut off from
water supplies by federal regulations protecting endangered
species like Chinook salmon. A couple of
hundred farmers and farm workers marched in front of the
Federal Building shouting "turn on the pumps." The pumps
they're talking about are the ones that pump water from the
Sacramento River Delta to farmlands in the
Central San Joaquin Valley.
The California
North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
(NCRWQCB) will be giving a presentation on the
Klamath Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) to the
Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors on
Tuesday July 7 at 10:25 a.m. (second floor, Courthouse
Yreka, CA). To read the NCRWQCB's Public Review Draft
of the Klamath River TMDLs Addressing Temperature,
Dissolved Oxygen, Nutrient and Microcystin Impairments
in California go
HERE.
And for more information and learn about
how to make public comments see:
Notice of
Availability of Draft Document, Public Comment Period,
and Public Workshops, For the Klamath River Total
Maximum Daily Loads and Action Plan Addressing
Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Nutrient, and Microcystin
Impairments
Additional TMDL meetings are
planned
Articles Posted Today:
Klamath River Basin Issues:
California Regional Water Quality Control Board
Notification: Notice
of Availability of Draft Document, Public Comment Period, and
Public Workshops, For the Klamath River Total Maximum Daily
Loads and Action Plan Addressing Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen,
Nutrient, and Microcystin Impairments
June 10, 2009
Federal Register:
E&T Species: Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Finding on Petition To
Delist the Lost River Sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and the
Shortnose Sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris)
June 29, 2009
Department of the Interior Press Release:
Salazar: Klamath Basin Agreement
“Within Reach” June 30, 2009
Oregon Public Broadcasting:
Administration Supports Klamath Settlement
Delay June 30, 2009
Herald and News:
September deadline set for
Klamath dam removal pact July 1, 2009
Herald and News:
Water storage appraisal nearly
done July 1, 2009
Eureka Times-Standard:
Klamath restoration
negotiations delayed July 1,
2009
Oregonian:
Hints of a historic deal
coming together in the Klamath Basin
July 1, 2009
Pioneer Press:
More conflict over dam
removal July 1, 2009
Oregonian:
Phantom fax just one obstacle
to planning Oregon's water future
July 1, 2009
Capital Press:
Session's outcome frustrates
ag July 1, 2009
International Water Power and Dam Construction:
US DoI calls for Klamath dam
deal by September July 2, 2009
Capital Press:
Ag board hears farmer's
plight July 2, 2009
Herald and News:
Klamath water levels in good
shape July 3, 2009
Herald and News:
Clear Lake irrigation supply
to be cut July 3, 2009
Water in the West:
GAO Report:
Clean Water Infrastructure:
A Variety of Issues Need to Be Considered When Designing a
Clean Water Trust Fund. GAO-09-657
May 29, 2009
Pacific Legal Foundation:
Pacific Legal Foundation asks
Obama, Salazar, and Schwarzenegger for action to convene
federal “God Squad” to address California’s water emergency
June 26, 2009
San Francisco Examiner:
El Nino…realities and myths
June 27, 2009
Antelope Valley, CA Press:
Water crisis unites East Kern
communities June 27, 2009
Merced, CA Sun-Star:
Interior chief offers water
help to California - Salazar talks of expedited transfers,
Recovery Act cash June 28, 2009
Lenexa, KS Packer:
California town hall meeting
on water woes pleases few June
29, 2009
Capital Press:
Salazar doesn't quench farm thirst for
water in California June 29, 2009
San
Francisco KGO TV:
Farmers angry over water
restrictions June 29, 2009
Capital Press:
Wash., feds to discuss
Yakima water June 30, 2009
Capital Press:
Calif. farmers to rally
over water June 30, 2009
Fresno Bee:
Water activists to rally in
Fresno - Hundreds, perhaps thousands, expected
June 30, 2009
Fresno Bee:
'Two Gates' project could
ease water crisis June 30, 2009
Fresno Bee Editorial:
Still more action needed on
water issues June 30, 2009
Fresno Bee:
GOP ads link Dems to Valley
water crisis - Radio spots attack Dennis Cardoza and Jim
Costa July 1, 2009
Sacramento Bee:
Dutch expert offers advice on
saving Delta July 1, 2009
Riverside, CA Press-Enterprise:
Forecasters unsure how much
rain El Nino will bring July 1,
2009
AP:
Thousands rally to protest
water cuts in Fresno July 2, 2009
Modesto Bee:
Warm predictions follow
another below-average Sacramento rainy season
July 2, 2009
Capital Press:
Clean Water Act raises
hackles July 2, 2009
Important News:
Washington, DC Examiner:
Congress is killing US softly
with too many laws and red tape June
29, 2009
CNS News:
Congressmen Say They Didn't Have
Chance to Read Full 1,200-Page Climate Change Bill Before Vote
June 29, 2009
Washington Post:
EPA proposes tougher clean air rule
June 30, 2009
July 7, 6:00 pm: Regional Water Board
staff, in conjunction with staff from EPA Region 9 & 10
will host public workshops to present the Public
Review Draft Klamath River Total Maximum Daily Loads.
Miner’s Inn Convention Center, 122 E. Miner Street,
Yreka, California
July 8, 6:00 pm: Karuk Department of
Natural Resources, 39051 Highway 96, Orleans,
California
July 9, 6:00 pm: Yurok Tribal
Headquarters, 190 Klamath Blvd., Klamath, California.
AP:
Battle over water heats up in
drought-stricken California
June 29, 2009
June 29,
2009 -
Good news for Klamath Project Irrigators
today. The elevation of Upper Klamath Lake is
sitting at 4142.13' this morning. The Bureau of
Reclamations
Klamath Project 2009
Operations Plan for
the June month end lake elevation requirements for the Lost
River and
Shortnosed
Sucker Biological Opinion is 4140.5' in elevation. Check
out today's other
Klamath River Basin USGS Flow Graphs.
The Board of Directors of the
Klamath Water and Power Agency (“KWAPA”) will hold
a public meeting at the office of the Klamath Irrigation District,
6640 KID Lane, Klamath Falls, Oregon, on Thursday, July 2, 2009,
commencing at 12:30 p.m.
California's Central Valley water crisis
continues to garner national attention, as Secretary of the
Interior Ken Salazar paid Fresno a visit
Sunday. Nearly 900 people crowded into the Satellite Student Union
on the university campus, to tell Secretary Salazar about the
adversities the water shortages have created for them... and what
they'd like to see the government do to help.
"It is by choice
that I am here today. It is not because I was forced to come. I came
to see how we can find a way to move forward together," Salazar, who
donned a cowboy hat, told the crowd. "I care about the Valley, the
farmers and the farm workers." Salazar said his trip was aimed at
listening to the needs of Valley farmers, announce some actions, and
see where things go from there. He told the crowd environmental
restrictions protecting the delta smelt are set to expire Wednesday,
July first... and the pumps will go back on.
Mr. Salazar says he has assigned Deputy
Secretary David Hayes to coordinate the federal response to
California water supply and related environmental issues with the
state and stakeholders.
Other steps are to include:
• Renewed federal involvement and leadership in the
Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and federal engagement in water
supply issues that extend beyond the scope of the BDCP and the
immediate geography of the Bay Delta.
• Significant progress will be made on the most
contentious water supply and environmental issues by the end of
2009, including but not limited to the issues raised by the BDCP, he
says.
• Continued efforts to distribute $220 million in
Recovery Act funding for specific water and environmental
infrastructure projects in California. Of this amount, $160 million
will be directed to the Central Valley Project. An additional $40
million in drought relief funds will be announced within the month,
the majority of which will go to California’s Central Valley.
• The expedited review of infrastructure projects
that could potentially add flexibility to water delivery systems,
including the proposed “Two Gates” project and the canal “intertie”
project.
Mr. Salazar noted that in addition to these
commitments, the Interior Department through the Bureau of
Reclamation has already taken operational steps to stretch
the scarce water supply. Those measures include:
The processing of more than 70 transfers that
total approximately 245,000 acre-feet of water for the San
Joaquin Valley.
The approval of rescheduling requests by Westside
and Friant Division CVP contractors to allow them to preserve
and use prior year allocations of approximately 250,000
acre-feet in San Luis Reservoir and 57,000 acre-feet in
Millerton Lake.
The planned announcement of 2010 rescheduling
guidelines by August 1, several months in advance of prior
practice.
The approval of contracts to convey 170,000
acre-feet of non-CVP water through CVP facilities for irrigation
in various areas affected by the drought.
Recommended reading today comes to us from
Seiad Valley resident Glen Briggs,
a civil engineer and retired from the Bureau of
Reclamation. His
Please Do Not Restore My
Klamath River paper points out what the
Klamath River was like before the dams and
likely what it will be like if restored by removing them. (KBB
Note: Seiad Valley is just below Iron Gate Dam on the Klamath
River.)
The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delivered a blow to
Klamath Basin irrigators last Friday
Lost River
Sucker - Deltistes luxatus
Shortnose Sucker -
Chasmistes brevirostris
Articles Posted Today:
Klamath River Basin Issues:
Capital Press: USFWS deny petition to delist Klamath suckers June 26, 2009
Herald and News: Feds: Fish still endangered - U.S. Fish and Wildlife service says suckers should stay on list June 27, 2009
Herald and News: Restoring the Wood River - Projects are helping to improve habitat June 27, 2009
Herald and News: Water issue divides GOP June 27, 2009
Herald and News Editorial: Oregon Legislature provides key piece for restoration pact - Surcharge, plus guaranteed cap, moves process forward June 28, 2009
Glen Briggs: Please Do Not Restore My Klamath River June 28, 2009
Redding Record Searchlight: Speak Your Piece: The gravy train is leaving; where's Siskiyou County? June 28, 2009
Water in the West:
Restore the Delta Press Release: Delta Flows: The Good, the Bad, the Confused and the Ugly June 24, 2009
California Farmer: Feather River Flows Increased for Fish June 24, 2009
Walla Walla, WA Union-Bulletin: Water piping seen on horizon - Early signs point to using water from the Columbia for irrigation, leaving more in the Walla Walla River June 25, 2009
Sacramento Bee:
State declares longfin smelt a
threatened species June 26, 2009
Fresno Bee:
Valley lawmakers can't block
water legislation June 26, 2009
San Diego Union-Tribune: Water worries on iconic farms; Rate hike a threat to flower, strawberry fields, operators say June 26, 2009
American Rivers Press Release: American Rivers Calls for Water Management Overhaul, Supports Disaster Relief on Eve of Secretary Salazar’s Visit to Fresno June 26, 2009
AP: Battle over water heats up in San Joaquin Valley June 27, 2009
Sioux Falls, SD Argus Leader: Use nuclear energy to augment water supply June 27, 2009
Combined Fisheries Group Press Release: Fishermen to Interior Secretary: Don’t Make Fish the Scapegoat for Valley Unemployment June 27, 2009
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) Press Release: Myths, Lies and Damn Lies about Impact of Drought on San Joaquin Valley Agribusiness June 28, 2009
AP: Salazar assigns deputy as Calif. water czar June 28, 2009
Fresno Bee: Valley's ag and water economics a complex conundrum June 28, 2009
Fresno, CA KMPH Fox 26: Interior Secretary Hears Water Plea June 28, 2009
Fresno, CA KSEE: Interior Secretary promises water help June 28, 2009
Central Valley Business Times: Feds take action on Central Valley water problems June 28, 2009
Central Valley Business Times: Environmentalists dispute water shortage = job loss claims June 29, 2009
Important Reading:
Center for Biological Diversity Press Release: American Clean Energy and Security Act Must Be Substantially Strengthened to Avoid Catastrophic Global Warming June 25, 2009
Los Angeles Times: Farm lobby at the helm of Waxman-Markey bill June 26, 2009
Willits,CA Willits News: THE SPORSTMAN'S CORNER: West Coast salmon numbers explode June 26, 2009
National Law Journal: High court losses stun environmentalists June 29, 2009
June 26,
2009 -
According to the Associated Press and
other news outlets, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
will hold hearings on the prolonged California drought
that has turned fields into dust bowls and resulted in a spike in
rural crime, high unemployment and low property values. Salazar's
visit to Fresno Sunday underscores the dire
situation farmers, businesses and residents face as the nation's
most productive agricultural state struggles through the third year
of drought, compounded by cutbacks in water deliveries from the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect endangered
fish. He'll be joined by his top deputy and members of the
California congressional delegation. Studies estimate that as of
May, the lack of water in the San Joaquin Valley
has cost 35,000 jobs and $830 million in farm revenue.
The following is from a USDOI Media Advisory
released today:
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Deputy
Secretary David J. Hayes, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike
Connor and members of the California Congressional Delegation will
hold a town hall meeting on water supply issues and challenges
facing California on Sunday, June 28, in Fresno, Calif.
Who:
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
What:
Town hall meeting on water issues in California
When:
Sunday, June 28, 2:30 - 4 p.m.
Where:
Fresno State
Next Wednesday, July 1- the California Latino
Water Coalition is sponsoring a rally for water in downtown
Fresno, California. It falls less than three months
after thousands of people spent four days marching for water in the
Central Valley. Organizers say the real voice in this fight are
people like the Walls family. A generation of farmers who are now
looking for alternatives because of the lack of water. "The ground
we have planted as permanent crops is what we're trying to hang onto
now. The other properties that we have been fallowed haven't had
anything planted for three years. There's just not enough water left
to go plant." The rally starts at noon in front of city hall, and
will include a march throughout the streets of downtown Fresno.
Articles Posted Today:
Klamath River Basin Issues:
Crescent City Triplicate:
It’s that time of year for algae
blooms June 25, 2009
Capital Press:
Hay prices follow inputs, demand down
June 25, 2009
AP:
Feds decline to de-list Klamath sucker
fish, again June 26, 2009
Dan Keppen:
Response
to AP article on Klamath sucker fish
June 26, 2009
Water in the West:
Westlands Water District Press Release:
California Water Districts Sue to
Force Federal Fish Agencies ... June 15,
2009
Westlands Water District Press Release:
Statement from Tom Birmingham,
General Manager, Westlands Water District - Westlands Water Supply
in 2009 June 15, 2009
Westlands
Water District Press Release:
How much water does Westlands have this year?
June 19, 2009
Environmental Protection Agency Press
Release:
EPA's
Watershed Academy to sponsor free July 1st Webcast on the Clean
Water Act June
23, 2009
California Farmer:
Feather River Flows Increased for
Fish June 24, 2009
AP:
Drought prompts Calif visit by US Interior chief
June 24, 2009
AG Week:
Calif ag secretary heads to 'epicenter of
drought' June 24, 2009
Dan Bacher:
Secretary Salazar to Speak at Town Meeting
on Drought in Fresno June 24, 2009
North County Times:
El Nino could signal drought's
end; But scientists, water officials caution against getting
hopes up June 24, 2009
Billings, MT Gazette:
Reaction mixed to management plan
for Montana's Madison River June 25,
2009
Billings, MT Gazette:
Wyoming reservoir on North Platte
River at 91 percent capacity June 25,
2009
Las Vegas Sun:
Supreme Court decision a toxic
interpretation of Clean Water Act June
25, 2009
Twin Falls,
Idaho Times-News:
Idaho senator, congressman oppose
Clean Water Act changes June 25, 2009
Representative Devin Nunes R-CA:
Government-Imposed Dustbowl To
Continue In San Joaquin Valley June
25, 2009
Fresno Bee:
Water draws Interior chief to
Fresno for hearing; Salazar, congressional leaders at town hall
meeting Sunday June 25, 2009
U.S. Department of the
Interior:
MEDIA ADVISORY - Secretary
Salazar, Senior Interior Officials and Members of California
Congressional Delegation to Hold Public Hearing on Water Supply
Issues in Fresno on Sunday June 26,
2009
Fresno Bee Column:
Bay Area water hypocrisy exposed
June 25, 2009
Fresno, CA CBS47 News: Crime
Rates Increase, As Water Shortages Persist
June 25, 2009
Capital Press:
Water act foes knock changes
June 25, 2009
Capital Press:
Farmers denounce Radanovich
June 25, 2009
Capital Press:
Water proposal proceeds
June 25, 2009
Fresno, CA
KFSN ABC30:
Water Rally Planned for Downtown Fresno
June 26, 2009
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance Action Alert: Delta
Water Bills Threaten Fisheries! June 26,
2009
Billings, MT Gazette:
Flows in Bighorn River in Montana
at 14-year high June 26, 2009
PNW Salmon News:
Center for Biological Diversity Press
Release:
California Proposes Logging
Rules That Would Exterminate Coho Salmon
June 24, 2009
Tri-City Herald:
Lost salmon funding may be recovered
June 25, 2009
Columbia Basin
Bulletin:
Obama Administration's
Perspectives On Salmon BiOp Due In Court August 14
June 26, 2009
Columbia Basin
Bulletin:
Groups Sue FEMA Over Floodplain
Development Without Considering Impacts To Salmon
June 26, 2009
Columbia Basin
Bulletin:
Report Details West Coast Research
Needs About Fisheries, Ocean Health June
26, 2009
Columbia Basin
Bulletin:
Feedback: The Science Of
Supplementation June 26, 2009
Important Reading:
Pioneer Press Letter:
Manipulations
June 24, 2009
Capital Press:
Teachable moments make solid
connections June 25, 2009
Columbia Basin
Bulletin:
IDAM, Integrated Dam Assessment
Modeling, Shows Costs, Benefits Of Building A Dam
June 26, 2009
Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes
Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor
Members of the California Congressional Delegation
Satellite Student Union
2485 East San Ramon Avenue
Fresno, CA
June 24, 2009 - The Family Farm Alliance (FFA) Board of Directors on June 9, 2009 took extraordinary action by directing staff to seek a judicial order requiring the federal government to use the best available scientific data in documents intended to protect the Delta Smelt under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and is seeking contributions for a special fund established to support that effort. Read FFA's Press Release Establishes Legal Fund to Push for Sound Science in ESA Decision Making.
Recommended reading today comes from Roni Bell Sylvester in La Salle, Colorado. Answer to President Barack Obama’s request for us to “roll up our sleeves and become a volunteer.” helps explain why and how rural resource providers already roll up their sleeves and participate in local issues. Her letter starts out: "Our sleeves have been rolled up and our hearts opened as we’ve served as volunteers in our communities for hundreds of years. Where have you been? Lately, our charitable spirits have been crushed, stomped on, jailed, sued, slapped, regulated, taxed and drained beyond empty. By who? The federal government and its environmental/non-government partners (Partnership). Who’s “we.” We are domestic resource providers. Remember us? We’re the ones who’ve been toiling in the fields, throwing the fish nets, logging, riding the range, mining and exploring, providing food, fuel and fiber to everyone - regardless their ethnicity, religion, political, gender and age. Whipped tired when we finally get in after a "hands dirty- red neck" day, we clean up, drive into town, and do “volunteer work.”
Articles Posted Today:
Klamath River Basin Issues:
Karuk Tribe Press Release: U.S. EPA, State and tribes, warn against Klamath River blue-green algae June 20, 2009
Oregon Public Broadcasting: Utility Payment Plan For Klamath Dam Removal Approved June 22, 2009
KDRV, Medford: Klamath dams removal bill goes to Kulongoski June 22, 2009
Herald and News: Bill goes to the governor - Power rate increase to pay for Klamath dam removal OK’d June 23, 2009
Casper Star-Tribune: Ruby pipeline clears step June 23, 2009
Oregon Pubic Broadcasting Savage Rapids Lesson: Removing Dams No Easy Task June 24, 2009
Oregonian: Views: Protecting Oregon's land-use system June 24, 2009
Water in the West:
Farm Futures: Crapo Intends to Stand in Way of Clean Water Act June 22, 2009
Western Farm Press: Fish prevail over Californians, again June 22, 2009
Marysville, CA Appeal-Democrat Opinion: Mary Wells: Reservoir would help ease water crisis June 22, 2009
Earthjustice Press Release: Senate Committee Approves Urgently Needed Clean Water Legislation June 23, 2009
Family Farm Alliance: Alliance Establishes Legal Fund to Push for Sound Science in ESA Decision Making June 23, 2009
Merced, CA Sun-Star Editorial: Our View: Lawmakers block water reform June 23, 2009
Sacramento Bee: Fewer farmland acres irrigated in region, state June 23, 2009
Capital Press: Wash. issues Yakima River water report June 23, 2009
McClatchy Newspapers: Odds against California getting disaster declaration for Fresno County June 23, 2009
AP: Prosecutors say NV water officials aware of fraud June 24, 2009
California Farm Bureau Federation: Senate committee votes to expand Clean Water Act June 24, 2009
Twin Falls Times News: Idaho judge sends water rights decision back to DWR director June 24, 2009
PNW Salmon News:
Tri-City Herald: House leaders block funding for salmon recovery June 23, 2009
Seattle Times: Canadian Fisheries report found colder ocean water was good for ... June 23, 2009
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Alaska biologists eye ocean shifts' effect on salmon June 23, 2009
Everett Herald: Balancing salmon habitat and farmland June 24, 2009
Important Reading:
Philip Tabas, general counsel, The Nature Conservancy: Planet Saver - One Million Environmentalists June 23, 2009
Roni Bell Sylvester: Answer to President Barack Obama’s request for us to “roll up our sleeves and become a volunteer.” June 23, 2009
Julie Kay Smithson: "Premises" versus "Property" and Producer versus Processor June 23, 2009
Natural News: Food Safety Bill HR 2749 Requires Immediate Opposition June 24, 2009
June 22,
2009 -
The Pacific Fisheries Management Council is
predicting that 2009 may be one of the strongest years for salmon
returns throughout the northwest. They base their predictions on a
variety of factors including smolt release numbers, ocean
temperatures, and fishery testing, though having so many variables
lowers the reliability of these estimates. The prediction for the
Klamath River is 51.8 thousand returning fish - lower then
the 2003 number of 87.6 thousand fall salmon. See their February
2009 report
HERE.
Today's
Klamath River Basin USGS Flow Graphs are
posted. Upper Klamath Lake elevation is dropping
though releases out of the Klamath Project A-Canal
headgates is less then normal for this time of year. Releases from
the lake through the Link River
Dam were up to over 1,500 cubic feet per second
(cfs) on June 20th but have since been dropped to 1,240 cfs. Flow
at the mouth of the Klamath River is below normal
at 6,370 cfs.
Articles Posted Today:
Klamath River Basin Issues:
Oregonian: Sustainable
is now the word in Klamath County June
21, 2009
AP:
Fight is on for Oregon water supplies
June 21, 2009
Oakland, CA Tribune:
SalmonAid organizes to fight threat
of extinction June 21, 2009
Water in the West:
New Mexico Local Dialogue:
New Scientific Assessment
Predicts Massive Droughts For New Mexico
June 16, 2009
Fresno Bee:
Valley lawmakers narrowly lose
House vote on irrigation water June
18, 2009
Los Angeles Times:
Dusty fields in Fresno County
June 19, 2009
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Opinion - Fixing the Delta is
critical June 19, 2009
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Opinion - The Water War: State
needs more storage capacity June 19,
2009
Fresno Bee:
Governor gets firsthand look
at water shortage June 19, 2009
Stockton, CA Record:
Water
district sues feds over Stanislaus rules
June 20, 2009
Great Falls, MT Tribune:
Drought gradually easing in
Montana June 21, 2009
AP:
Montana emerging from years-long drought
June 22, 2009
National Public Radio:
Plans for Colorado's Yampa River exceed
flows June 22, 2009
PNW Salmon News:
Pacific Fisheries Management
Council:
Preseason Report: Chapter 1
- Abundance Projections Feb 2009
Seattle Times:
Summer salmon fishing
should be great June 21, 2009
UPI:
Changing ocean currents
impacting salmon June 21,
2009
Idaho Statesman:
Has the salmon debate
changed? Breaching dams seems no more likely under
a new administration June
21, 2009
Dan Bacher:
Congress Narrowly
Defeats Nunes Salmon Extinction Amendment
June 21, 2009
Sacramento Bee:
Huge hurdles ahead for
effort to restore fisheries above Folsom, Shasta dams
June 22, 2009
Important Reading:
Los Angeles Times:
Obama's environmental decisions baffle
supporters June 21, 2009
AP:
Conservation wave builds in the
West June 21, 2009
June 20, 2009 - Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong in Siskiyou County would be left holding bag by plan, a Klamath Falls Herald and News Letter to the Editor states, "Let’s call the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement what it is — many wolves and a sheep sitting down to decide what’s for dinner. It’s a trade where special interests bargained away the health, safety and property of those not permitted to participate in the backroom secretive process. These interests cannot just “celebrate consensus” in a vacuum — wishing away the large number of people who are opposed to, and potentially injured by, this deal with the devil. True to form, the federal and state governments appear intent upon abandoning the commitments they have made to Siskiyou County to adequately address the human and environmental damage caused by dam removal."
Four years after Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski and top legislative leaders launched a review of the state’s land-use system, the governor says he’ll sign into law the legislation that resulted. The so-called Big Look bill passed the Oregon House almost unanimously last month, and it passed the Senate by a narrower margin this week. The governor should sign it soon. At issue have been rules over large tracts of land designated as “farm and forest”. Those are difficult for Oregon property owners to build houses on. The stories of those land owners drove an initiative in 2004 that opened the door to property owners building more. See the Capital Press article Ore. Senate votes for looser land use law and Oregon Public Broadcasting article OR governor to sign land-use legislation for more.
Articles Posted Today:
Klamath River Basin Issues:
Capital Press: Ore. Senate votes for looser land use law June 16, 2009
Eureka Times-Standard: Springers on the Klamath -- location plus patience equals success June 16, 2009
SalmonAid Foundation Press Release: Media Advisory: SalmonAid 2009 Festival Saturday and Sunday June 16, 2009
Dan Bacher: Klamath River Tribes Will Kick Off SalmonAid With Traditional Salmon Bake June 17, 2009
Klamath Riverkeeper Press Release: Tribes Bring Fish, Fire, and Traditional Ways to Bay Area SalmonAid Festival June 18, 2009
Herald and News Letter: Siskiyou County would be left holding bag by plan June 18, 2009
Herald and News: Tribal history focus of new exhibit June 18, 2009
Oregon Public Broadcasting: OR governor to sign land-use legislation June 18, 2009
Capital Press: Oregon water fee hikes on tap June 18, 2009
Redding, CA Record-Searchlight: State budget committee proposes Williamson Act cuts June 18, 2009
Herald and News: Fish farming in the Basin - Local business is raising tilapia June 19, 2009
Herald and News Letter: Figures show removal of dams best alternative June 19, 2009
Herald and News Letter: Dams may be necessary for groundwater supply June 20, 2009
Water in the West:
Capital Press: Tractors clog Calif freeway in water cuts protest June 16, 2009
AP: Water supply for millions at risk from fires in Rocky Mtn. forests June 16, 2009l
Billings Gazette: NOAA: Wyoming's reservoirs all near capacity June 17, 2009
Denver Post: Colorado snowmelt's early flow may be issue June 17, 2009
Bureau of Reclamation Press Release: Reclamation Releases Draft EA for Public Comment on the Transfer of Non-CVP Water from the Placer County Water Authority to the San Diego County Water Authority June 18, 2009
Dan Bacher: Tightening the Tap - Feds order state to cut water-project flows to Southern California June 18, 2009
Oregonian: Oregon's data on water supplies run dry June 18, 2009
Fresno Business Journal: Governor on firing line over water in Fresno June 18, 2009
Capital Press: Sac. Valley project tries collaboration June 18, 2009
Capital Press: Rainstorms lay waste to hay crop June 18, 2009
Capital Press: Late rain drenches hay crop June 18, 2009
Great Falls Tribune: Montana communities hope water promise will be kept this time June 19, 2009
Dan Bacher: Schwarzenegger Amps Up Canal Campaign, War on Fish June 20, 2009
PNW Salmon News:
GAO Correspondence: Fisheries Management: Alleged Misconduct of Members and Staff of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council. GAO-09-508R May 20, 2009
San Jose, CA Mercury News: House narrowly rejects bid to nullify salmon protection rules June 18, 2009
NW Fishletter: More Data Shows Hatchery Steelhead Relatively Unfit For Reproductive Duty June 19, 2009
NW Fishletter: Sea Lions Split For The Season June 19, 2009
Dan Bacher: Congress Votes Down Nunes Salmon Extinction Amendment June 19, 2009
Important Reading:
UK Telegraph: Crops under stress as temperatures fall June 13, 2009
Politico: Climate change to increase drought, bugs says new report June 16, 2009
Bloomberg: Drought, Floods From Warming Already Seen in US, Report Says June 16, 2009
Christian Science Monitor: How will climate change affect where you live? June 16, 2009
Los Angeles Times: Western states want reins on federal power June 16, 2009
Julie Kay Smithson: If it's wet, is it land? June 17, 2009
The Heritage Foundation Blog: The Clean Water Restoration Act Means Troubled Waters For Property Owners June 17, 2009
Beaumount, TX Enterprise: Cow burps unregulated by federal government, ranchers hope to stay that way June 17, 2009
Capital Press: EPA interest in cow gas riles farmers June 18, 2009
Ducks Unlimited Magazine: Senate makes next step toward protecting America's waters June 18, 2009
DowJones: Environment Grps Praise Senate Panel For New Clean Water Bill June 18, 2009
American Chronicle: Inhofe Leads Opposition to "Biggest Bureaucratic Power Grab in a Generation" June 18, 2009
AP: Idaho senator promises to filibuster Clean Water legislation June 19, 2009
June 16, 2009 - The Los Banos, Calif.-based San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, which represents more than 25 water districts, agencies and water service contractors in California’s San Joaquin Valley, has filed a federal lawsuit to block implementation of a controversial opinion from the National Marine Fisheries Service. “The public has a right to know how agencies like (National Marine Fisheries Service) make decisions, and that was completely inadequate in this instance,” Dan Nelson, executive director of the water authority, said in a statement released by his office. “Decisions that affect the water supply for three million acres of farmland and 25 million people can’t be made in secret.” Previously ordered cutbacks in irrigation water this year have forced San Joaquin Valley growers to leave fallow about 500,000 acres, according to Congressman Devin Nunes, whose district is in the valley. Estimates of additional water cutbacks linked to the opinion range up to 500,000 acre feet, he said, and that could double the amount of fallow acreage next year.
The central California Westlands Water District has joined in the lawsuit against the federal government to stop further cutbacks to California’s water supplies. An agency official said the goal of the lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service is to force the federal government to prepare an environmental impact statement before adopting a salmon recovery plan that could dramatically cut water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. “Environmental laws apply equally to all,” said Tom Birmingham, General Manager of the Westlands Water District, in announcing a lawsuit aimed at the federal government’s latest plan for cutting back even further on California’s water supplies. “Denying this much water to California is going to do obvious, serious and enduring damage to habitat, to wetlands, and to other endangered species. It will reduce water quality and drive up the costs of water treatment for millions of people. It will reduce the opportunities for recycling, conjunctive use, and water transfers, which are all vitally important to the state’s efforts to conserve water and improve efficiency. And it will put tens of thousands of people out of work, which affects public health and safety in myriad ways,” Birmingham said.
In announcing the salmon plan, the regional commissioner for the federal Bureau of Reclamation acknowledged that its implementation would mean that there will no longer be reliable water supplies for California agriculture and that there will not be any additional water available for cities that are growing. “It is simply outrageous that federal authorities would seek to force these restrictions on California without conducting a single public hearing, without any public review or comment, and without any consideration of the harm they are doing,” Birmingham said.
"Central Valley Project deliveries to Westlands Water District, for example, were forecast to be zero as recently as March," said Spreck Rosecrans of Environmental Defense. "Westlands now projects they expect to use 86% of average annual supplies this year. Their total supply is a combination of deliveries from the Delta, water banked last year, groundwater pumping and purchases."
Recommended reading today is Section B: Preliminary 4(e) Conditions - Reclamation Reservation on the Klamath Project of the U.S. Department of the Interior's Filing of Modified Terms, Conditions, and Prescriptions (Klamath Hydroelectric Project, No. 2082)
There is interesting information found on pages 9 and 10 of this report:
"Another feature provides additional water to the Klamath River from the Project. The D Pumping Plant pumps the water accumulated in the Tulelake sumps through Sheepy Ridge to the P Canal system where it is carried to and through Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge to the Straits Drain, and eventually back to the Klamath River. The water that accumulates in the sumps is the side flow from the Lost River basin below the Lost River Diversion Dam in the winter, and drainage return flows from the Klamath Reclamation Project in the irrigation season.
These drainage features developed by the Klamath Reclamation Project have increased the water available to the Hydroelectric Project by a substantial quantity. Coupled with the additional storage provided by Link River, Gerber and Clearlake dams, control and firm water supply are provided to the Hydroelectric Project would not be available without the Reclamation Project."
Also recommended today is a letter written by Welda McKinley Grider of Carrizozo, New Mexico to Wildearth Guardians (an environmental group) out of Santa Fe who wants to stop farming, ranching, and timber harvesting in New Mexico. Her letter includes, "I assume that Santa Fe has a gang problem. Gang members break into houses, hold people at gunpoint, and steal valuable property. I am sure you, yourself would expect to be safe in your own home or yard. We also have the same desire. Instead you advocate turning loose what amounts to gang members (wolves) into our yards and property. They steal our property by killing it. By “it” I mean animals that we hold dear. We are held at gunpoint by your organization. Not by guns but by the legislation you are trying to put forward when we have rights given to us by the Acts of Congress. We make a living – often our only living off these animals you discard easily on paper."
Articles Posted Today:
Klamath River Basin Issues:
U.S. Department of the Interior: Preliminary 4(e) Conditions - Reclamation Reservation on the Klamath Project Section B of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project Documents, Docket No. P2082 Jan 26, 2007
UC Davis Press Release: UC Davis Begins $2.8 Million in Studies of Agricultural Nitrogen's Impacts June 11, 2009
Capital Press: Panel sends Oregon hemp bill to Senate floor June 15, 2009
Herald and News Letter: Well, if you really want to restore things… June 16, 2009
Times-Standard: Trinity projects wrapping up June 16, 2009
Water in the West:
M. David Stirling Op/Ed, Sacramento Bee: Blame 'shortage' on misguided environmentalists June 14, 2009
Westlands Water District Press Release: California Water Districts Sue to Force Federal Fish Agencies to Obey Environmental Laws June 15, 2009
Fresno Bee: Westlands joins in salmon suit June 15, 2009
Merced, CA Sun-Star: Officials angle for West Side water June 15, 2009
Dan Bacher: Westlands Sues Feds Over Salmon Biological Opinion June 15, 2009
Los Banos, CA Packer: Water authority challenges Marine Fisheries Service opinion June 16, 2009
Important Reading:
Welda McKinley Grider: A Letter from a New Mexican Rancher to Wildearth Guardians June 12, 2009
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Press Release: Political Manipulation of Science Rife During Nominee's Tenure June 15, 2009
Los Angeles Times: Legislation in Utah, Montana seek to corral federal authority June 16, 2009
UK Guardian: Obama targets US public with call for climate action June 16, 2009
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A consulting hydrologist, Mark Van Camp of Sacramento, told the water users the draft BuRec historic water flow shows that downstream flows have increased 30 percent over discharges. That’s because the irrigated land uses less water than evaporation loss from the thousands of acres of wetlands that existed before the shallow lakebeds were diked, drained and put to the plow."
Taken from Hint: States, feds will unite on Klamath solutions -
Capital Press article July 28, 2004
National Weather Service Forecast For Klamath Falls, Oregon
National Water and Climate Center - Klamath Basin Special Reports
Western Regional Climate Center - Historical and Current Forecasts
You can view live Web Casts (over the internet) of House Resource Committee hearings. Click the following link: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/ or just click on the following graphic.
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