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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=articletitle><b><font size=5
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Klamath
water quality focus getting sharper</span></font></b></span><b><font size=5><span
style='font-size:16.0pt;font-weight:bold'><br>
</span></font></b><span class=articledate><!--subtitle--><!--top author info-->Article
Launched: 03/02/2006 4:27 AM PST</span></span> <span class=articlebyline><b><font
size=5><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></span></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
href="http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3561753"><!-- overline-->http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3561753</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><span class=articlebyline><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>John Driscoll The Times-Standard</span></span></font></span>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Water
quality agencies are mid-stream in developing plans to help clean up the <st1:place
w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>'s water, considered imperative to boosting
salmon and other fish populations. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The North
Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Oregon Department of Water
Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are analyzing information
about the river, beginning at <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Link</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType> at the outlet of <st1:place w:st="on">Upper Klamath
Lake</st1:place> to the ocean. Currently, they are looking at nutrients,
dissolved oxygen and temperature -- listed as out of whack by the agencies. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>By
October, the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">North</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> water board hopes
to have a draft document that identifies limits on these three factors --
called a TMDL, or total maximum daily load. The TMDL development team leader,
David Leland, said that the plan could go to the board for approval by January.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>After
that, farmers, timber operators, gravel extractors or any operation that may
add nutrients, raise temperatures or deplete oxygen in the river would either
need a special permit, or a waiver from the regulations. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>But
Leland said it's too early to say what the limits might look like. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>”I'm
reluctant to prejudge what the action plan would be before we do the
analysis,” Leland said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The water
board's role is to set goals for improving water</span> quality, he said, and
can lend support to projects that aim to achieve those goals. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>A similar
plan developed for the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Shasta</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType> -- a <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>
tributary -- directs irrigators to improve the quality of water that is
returned to the watershed, encourages ranchers to control erosion and polluted
runoff, and directs cities to change wastewater operations to improve water
quality. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>State
Water Resources Control Board experts are also working to put the Klamath River
below the confluence of the <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place> on a
list of rivers affected by sediment runoff. Water quality assessment unit chief
Craig Wilson said he hopes the recommendation, which will come with many others
of its kind, will be considered by the board this summer. That will then go to
the EPA for its approval. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>A TMDL plan will eventually be drafted to deal with the sediment issue.
How soon is a matter of where on the priority list the Klamath lands, <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Wilson</st1:City></st1:place> said</span></font><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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