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<P><B>Feds, states to work together on Klamath conundrum</B>
<P>By John Driscoll The Times-Standard
<P>Thursday, October 14, 2004 -
<P>An agreement among the federal government and the states of California and
Oregon aims to be a nexus for <BR>solutions in the Klamath Basin, but many are
skeptical that it can result in real-world changes.
<P>The agreement was announced Wednesday by U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton,
California Resources <BR>Secretary Mike Chrisman and Oregon Natural Resources
Adviser David Van't Hof . The Klamath River <BR>Watershed Coordination Agreement
appears to be a vehicle for cooperation between state and federal agencies
<BR>dealing with the complex fish, wildlife and agriculture quandaries in the
basin.
<P>The agreement comes with no funding or financial obligations, but instead
calls for a coordinated approach to <BR>allocating existing resources. It is to
work hand-in-hand with a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation program, called the
<BR>Conservation Implementation Program, which has been undergoing public
scrutiny at recent meetings.
<P>In a teleconference, Norton said the harsh conflicts in the basin stemmed in
large part from everyone in the <BR>basin vying for a limited supply of water.
<P>"We had not been planning ahead," Norton said. "We had not foreseen all the
problems that would have arisen. <BR>Today, we're able to plan."
<P>She said the agreement could insulate the basin from the year-to-year
conflicts plaguing agriculture, fish and <BR>wildlife refuges.
<P>Chrisman said collaboration with communities and tribes will help meld the
science and information being <BR>developed in the basin.
<P>How exactly such an agreement would affect on-the-ground realities -- like
disagreements over flows for fish <BR>and water deliveries for agriculture -- is
unknown. Some doubted genuine solutions, especially for <BR>communities on the
lower river, would result.
<P>"There's a lot of discussion about collaboration, coordination and
compromise," said longtime fisheries <BR>scientist Bill Kier. "But the
fundamental fact of life in the Klamath Basin is that it's overcommitted and
<BR>oversubscribed by government programs."
<P>He wondered if such an agreement might restrain the agencies involved. For
example, in the case of the State <BR>Water Resources Control Board's insistence
that hydropower dam operator PacifiCorp mitigate water quality <BR>problems
before certifying its dams.
<P>Yurok Tribe Executive Director Troy Fletcher said he's supportive of the
states and federal agencies working <BR>together, but is concerned it will only
continue the status quo. The tribe also supports the restoration activities
<BR>that might occur through such an arrangement, he said, but remains focused
on water as the key to a healthy <BR>salmon fishery.
<P>"The projects don't pay dividends unless there's water in the river,"
Fletcher said.
<P>The bureau's Klamath Falls area manager Dave Sabo said he believes the
agreement will lead to more <BR>coordination that may point out that flows
aren't the end-all to restoration.
<P>"I could shut the irrigation project down and it's not going to solve the
problems of the Klamath basin," Sabo <BR>said.
<P>But the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service have pointed to low <BR>flows as the main -- if not the only -- culprit
in the 2002 fish kill. That September, up to 68,000 chinook <BR>salmon died in
the river. That came after years of reduced fishing quotas along the West Coast,
set because of <BR>the river's weak stocks.
<P>Dan Keppen of the Klamath Water Users Association, which represents
irrigators in the federal irrigation <BR>project on the central
California-Oregon borders, saw reason to be optimistic. He said the time is ripe
for such <BR>an arrangement, citing both states' governors' interest in finding
solutions for the basin's woes.
<P>"I just think it sends a pretty strong signal that that's where people should
spend their time," Keppen said. "I <BR>think we need that."
<P>Asked if the announcement, which affects the swing state of Oregon, was
related to the upcoming presidential <BR>election, Norton said the agreement was
bipartisan and not political.
<P> ********************************</P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Thursday, October
14, 2004, 12:00 A.M. Pacific </FONT></P>
<P><A
href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2002062672&zsection_id=2002015020&slug=klamath14m&date=20041014">http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2002062672&zsection_id=2002015020&slug=klamath14m&date=20041014</A>
<P>Klamath pact promises cooperative approach
<P>By MATTHEW DALY <BR>The Associated Press
<P>WASHINGTON — The Bush administration and the governors of California and
Oregon said yesterday <BR>they have agreed to work together to resolve water
issues in the drought-stricken Klamath Basin.
<P>Interior Secretary Gale Norton said the agreement would help the two states
and four federal agencies as <BR>they work with farmers, Indian tribes,
fishermen, conservationists and other groups that use the <BR>chronically dry
basin along the California-Oregon border.
<P>"The people of the Klamath Basin cherish the land and its natural beauty and
desire to hand their way of <BR>life down to future generations," Norton said.
"Together, we have an opportunity to work toward a <BR>vision that includes
clear waters, abundant fisheries, increased waterfowl, a vibrant agricultural
<BR>community, and an end to the legal fighting ... ."
<P>The new Klamath River Watershed Coordination Agreement expands on a
2-1/2-year-old effort among <BR>federal agencies that deal with Klamath issues.
A Cabinet-level working group, headed by Norton, <BR>includes representatives of
the Interior, Commerce and Agriculture departments, as well as the
<BR>Environmental Protection Agency.
<P>Leaders of all four agencies have pledged to work together to ensure that
farmers in the Klamath Basin <BR>have access to sufficient water, while
complying with Indian trust obligations and protecting salmon and <BR>other
threatened fish.
<P>The new agreement builds on that work by including the two states in the
process, Norton and other <BR>speakers said in a teleconference with reporters.
<P>In a change, the states will take a lead role on Klamath issues, and federal
agencies will join them as they <BR>try to resolve disputes over water quantity
and quality, as well as fish-and-wildlife resource problems, <BR>Norton said.
<P>No federal or state agency will give up any budgetary or other authority as a
result of the agreement. </P></FONT>
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