Klamath County approves water deal
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From left to right, Klamath County Commissioners Al
Switzer, Cheryl Hukill and John Elliott. Elliott will
sign the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement on behalf
of Klamath County. |
Commissioners unanimously support
Klamath agreement
By TY BEAVER
Herald and News 2/10/10
The Klamath County Board of Commissioners
unanimously agreed to support the Klamath Basin Restoration
Agreement Tuesday.
Commissioners said the agreement isn’t perfect.
Commissioners Al Switzer and Cheryl Hukill said they still
don’t fully agree with the idea of removing dams that
provide power.
However, they see no better alternative to move the county
and the region forward, and said that by signing, the county
can continue to advocate for opponents and supporters of the
agreements.
“Klamath County has got to be at the table,” Switzer said.
“If we are not at the table, we are letting our citizens
down,” Switzer said.
Commissioners also voted to support a related Klamath River
dam removal agreement. Commissioner John Elliott will sign
both agreements on the board’s behalf.
The agreement
After years of negotiations among stakeholders, a final
public review draft of the restoration agreement was
released in early January. Stakeholders had until Tuesday to
have their constituents review it and decide whether to
support or reject it.
All three commissioners said they’ve spent the past week
meeting with proponents and opponents of the landmark
document, reading it in detail and seeking answers to their
questions. More than 400 people attended a public hearing
sponsored by the county in late January, and commissioners
questioned stakeholders at a meeting Monday.
Working together
Switzer said it was sad that the documents have split the
community. Both groups need to start working together to
make it work for everyone involved, and litigation is not
the way to keep the community whole, he said.
Elliott said the agreement is the best path forward. The
county and others can’t continue to reject solutions and
risk not participating in the agreements’ implementation, he
said.
“I find the alternatives are not equal,” he said.
The commissioner said he’s noted a changed attitude from
federal and state agencies. Officials are listening and
seeking input from the community on how to improve the
Basin, yet allow life to continue. Others involved need to
take the same position, Elliott said.
Hukill said she reviewed the restoration agreement to see
what would be best for the whole of the county. While she
disagrees with dam removal, she said it was a private
business deal between PacifiCorp and the state and federal
governments.
“Just as when Gottschalks announced that they were closing
their store, I had no right to interfere with a private
business deal,” she said from a prepared statement.
Tom Mallams, president of the Klamath Off Project Water
Users, said he was disappointed but not surprised in the
board’s decision.
He said public officials need to take a stand against
out-of-control spending and that water rights adjudication
should be completed before there’s any settlement.
“They said in there we can’t rely on litigation to solve
these problems, but the legal system is there to solve some
of these problems,” he said.
Greg Addington, executive director of Klamath Water Users
Association, said he was pleased with the board’s decision
and was glad to see the commissioners decide to be engaged
in the process.
“This further emphasizes it’s not just about dam removal,”
he said of the decision. “It’s about the whole county.”
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