On February 18, 2010, over 20 diverse groups and the Governors of Oregon and California signed an historic agreement to remove four dams on the Klamath River and restore its former runs of salmon and steelhead. Supporters of this collaborative agreement include numerous user groups: farmers, ranchers, tribes, county governments, environmentalists, recreational fishing groups and commercial fishing interests.
The agreement is broken into two parts, the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA) and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA). Highlights of both agreements:
KHSA
• PacifiCorp will remove 4 dams on the Klamath River by 2020, pending necessary environmental reviews
KBRA
• Farmers cap/limit water diversions in the basin
• No water rights are being terminated, created or adjudicated
• $100 million for restoration for each of ten years
• Potential 60,000 acre feet addition of water in the upper basin which will help rejuvenate wetlands
Benefits to Sportsmen
• 350 miles of spawning and rearing habitat opened for salmon and steelhead
• Restored salmon and steelhead runs equal a boon to anglers and communities
• Adding 60,000 acre feet of new water to the basin will improve habitat for migratory waterfowl and fish and help improve water quality in the lake, adjacent marshes and in the river
Contact the Oregon Public Utilities Commission at puc.consumer@state.or.us [1]. Tell them you support the agreement and the effort to restore what was once the third-most productive salmon and steelhead run on the west coast.
For more information, contact:
Mike Beagle
Trout Unlimited
329 Crater Lake Ave.
Medford, OR 97504
mbeagle@tu.org [2]
541.772.7720
Links:
[1] mailto:puc.consumer@state.or.us
[2] mailto:mbeagle@tu.org