08/16/05 Conserving water in the Klamath

08/16/05 Conserving water in the Klamath

The old west adage of "Whiskey is for drinkin', and water is for fighting" has really applied to the Klamath Basin of Oregon and California over the first half of this decade. And while there has been a number of collaborative efforts in recent years to find ways to conserve water and assure that all stakeholders & whether they be ag producers, industries, or those advocating protections for endangered fish and other species &there is still fighting going on. The latest episode took place recently when a group of environmental organizations petitioned Oregon's Water Resources Department to close the Northern side of the Basin to any future water appropriations. What that would have meant was the end of future ground water development and plans for additional off-stream storage. Fortunately for ag interests, the Department's seven member board voted unanimously to deny the petition. But it highlights that there are still groups that contend that agriculture and irrigation is the sole reason there is lack of water for fish in the Klamath. Of course, ag types would contend advocated fish protections is the sole reason for the lack of water for irrigation in the Klamath. In either case, other factors have also come into play such as the drought like conditions of recent years. Bottom line, conservation will be a big part of any and all plans to assure adequate water supplies to everyone in the Klamath Basin. To that end, a group of Klamath Basin farmers are using various techniques to conserve water, or put another way, farm with much less water than say prior to the 2001 water shut-off. Mike Byrne is a noted farmer and conservation resource director on the California side of the Klamath. And he says one challenge has been irrigating more efficiently in the sandy soils and reducing water loss. BYRNE: We're going to put the water through pipes, and instead of through open ditches. And when we get to where we want to apply the water, almost 100 per cent will be there. Before in the sandy ditches, you lost almost fifty per cent of it to ground water perculation. It is one of many examples of Klamath producers teaming up with U.S.D.A. to take advantage of various cost share programs in an attempt to conserve more water, and in the process create a stronger habitat for various fish and bird species. That effort in turn could result in perhaps less bickering over water in the Klamath and more partnerships to find long term solutions. BYRNE: We're going to fence off some of our naturally wet areas, and keep the cattle away. Put alternative water supplies in. Hopefully enhance the habitat. We're going to fence along the roads. We're going to try to create some upland bird habitat at the same process.
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