Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis
Fighting for Our Right to Irrigate Our Farms and Caretake Our Natural Resources

?? Questions ??

 

QUESTION #6
How many species of fish and wildlife were affected in the Klamath Basin by withholding water from  our farmland habitat in 2001?

Answer #6 - c. 433

Question #5 - Who paid for the Klamath Project that stores water for irrigation, refuges and fish flows? a. tribes (BIA), b. fisheries (NMFS), c. refuges (USFWS), d. environmental groups  (ONRC, Audubon,  PCFFA,  Sierra Club,  Wilderness Society,  KFA),  e. irrigators

Answer #5 - e. IRRIGATORS ONLY. Paid in full. 

Question #4 - In 2002, which group did NOT cut back their use of water? They used MORE WATER than they had in the past 40 years.
a. farmers b. tribes c. refuge

Answer #4 - c. refuge

Question #3 - Before the Klamath Project was built in 1906, how much water from Clear Lake/Lost River flowed into Klamath Lake and Klamath River:

AnswerNone, except on flood years. Before the Klamath Project's diversion canals were built, ALL the water remained in Tule Lake. Tule Lake was in a closed basin.

Question #2 - How much more water is there "to go around" for fish and farms after converting 94,539 acres of irrigated ag land to wetlands in the Upper Klamath Basin?
a. 20000 acre-ft (AF)  b. 50,000 AF c. other

Answer #2 - c. other.  One acre irrigated ag land uses approximately 2 to 2½ Acre Feet (AF) water. One acre wetlands uses 4 to 4½ AF water. Wetlands use over 2ce as much water as ag lands. 94,539 acres converted UK farmland times 2(modest estimate) = OVER 189,078 AF MORE WATER IS TAKEN FROM THE FISH AND FARMS BY CREATING WETLANDS. (figures from Klamath Relief Fund office)

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Question #1 - With the promise of more water for fish, tribes and agriculture:
#1 How much private property has been sold in Upper Klamath Basin primarily to conservancies (most of which becomes purchased by the federal government)???

Answer #1 - Lands taken out irrigated agricultural uses
and converted to wetlands as the primary usage
above Upper Klamath Lake
Submitted by Edward Bartell
The following is a list of lands, which have been removed from agricultural production as the primary land management, above Upper Klamath Lake.
Cattle production peeked in the Upper Basin in 1960, the start of the major decline was when the Tribal Grazing lands at Klamath Marsh was converted to Wetlands under the Management of US Fish and Wildlife in 1960.
The most dramatic increase in lands taken out of agricultural production and converted to wetlands has been post 1980.
*TNC Tulana Farms East (ADJ Claim 91) 4,600 Acres (TNC properties 1980s forward)
*TNC Goose Bay Farms (ADJ Claim 81)  - 2,187 Acres
*TNC Sycan Marsh (ADJ Claim 34) -  9,790 Acres
*TNC Brattain Ranch Inc. (ADJ Claim 23) 3,098 Acres
*TNC Sycan Marsh (ADJ Claim 36) 8,255 Acres
*NWR Klamath Marsh 38,766 Acres (1960 major additions in 1989-90)
*NWR Upper Klamath Lake 14,440 Acres (1928)
* Trout Creek Ranch 1,200 Acres
* Private WRP (NRCS) 1,480 Acres
* Wood River Ranch 3,000 Acres (1994)
* Agency Lake Ranch 7,123 Acres
* Runny Y Wetlands 550 Acres
* Lakeside Farms 50 Acres

Total Land changed to wetland from 94,539 Acres
Agricultural as primary water usage (above Klamath Lake)

*TNC (The Nature Conservancy) land estimates are from the Klamath Adjudication process, TNC may have more irrigated lands that are not in the adjudication. The extent of agricultural use prior to Upper Klamath Lake NWR is unknown, the rest of the lands had extensive agricultural use prior to conversion. Agency Lake Ranch, Wood River Ranch, Lakeside Farms, and Running Y acres come from 2002 FWS draft Sucker BO. Trout Creek Ranch acres comes from the National Archives, not all in wetlands. WRP acres were provided by NRCS


 

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