*** Public Comment!  until 8/27/09 Ca. Regional Water Board action mandates regarding Draft Klamath River Total Maximum Daily Loads. This this is a draft mandate to improve naturally warm and mineral-laden water.
What do you think of a gigantic water plant to clean the naturally mineral-laden water coming from springs and Klamath Lake? How about 100's of MILLIONS of dollars to decommission roads, clean the water, pipe water, monitor all water, reroute water? It is very important that you read this lengthy volume of draft mandates for water in the Klamath watershed and send comments by 8/27/09!
HERE for CA Regional Water Board draft mandates, money you will spend, what you must do to make your water pristine.
Here for Tulelake KBC report 3/16/09 > Regional Water Quality Control Board wants Klamath Project's historically putrid water to become cold and clean. Lawsuit by Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement parties causes Water Board to target Klamath Project water users.
Transcripts from the four public scoping meetings held in N. California in Oct. regarding dam removal and environmental concerns. They were held by the Calif. Water Quality Control Board. Full transcripts of the public comments are included, as well as introduction and explanation of the purpose of the meetings. Please send comments to the board by Feb. 23. Yreka   Klamath   Orleans   Eureka   Two groups at the Klamath settlement table, North Coast Environmental Center and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen, support taking out the Keno Dam as well. People at the Yreka meeting presented testimony objecting to dam removal. Most of those objecting are not allowed at the table. Eureka.
Strategy to form the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement: Cal/EPA Environmental Justice Action Plan May 18, 2005. Lead Agency: State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
Comments Klamath River Total Maximum Daily Loads and Action Plan Addressing Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Nutrient, and Microcystin Impairments, by Marcia Armstrong posted to KBC 8/20/09

Family Farm Alliance brings testimony and press release on Clean Water Act concerns, FFA 4/10/08

Don’t take away my fishing hole, H&N 4/1/08. "If algae in the Klamath River is a problem caused by the PacifiCorp dam system, then please explain the source of the algae blooms in Lake of the Woods, Fish Lake, Hyatt Lake, and all the other fishing sources in the area."

$48 million requested for Basin, Rep. Greg Walden asks for money to research salmon disease in the Klamath River, projects at OIT, H&N 4/1/07

Maps put basin's water, fertilizer in perspective, Geologic study changes thought on sources of irrigation, water quality, Capital Press, posted 3/29/08. "...new findings show phosphorous is naturally occurring in Upper Klamath Lake. Roseburg said phosphorous is a major element that contributes to algae blooms in the lake and the Klamath River. When the blooms die, the decomposition process uses oxygen in water, which can result in fish die-offs."

Do You Want The Corps Of Engineers In Your Backyard?  You’ll get that result of S 1870 passes the Senate and Congress. Please Send Senate your Testimony On Clean Water Act (Wetlands) by April 8th! posted 3/28/08

Poll Results Back Group's Stance Against Expansion Of Clean Water Act, Western Business Roundtable, posted 2/28/08

From Senator Whitsett, posted 2/21/08. "...ranching and farming activities do not, and could not, cause these elevated phosphorous concentrations, and that steps to reduce fertilizer use or cattle grazing would have little or no impact on improving water quality in the Upper Klamath Basin."

‘Good science’ casts doubt on blame laid on Basin farms Herald and News 2/19/08. "Ian Madin, chief scientist for the department, however, questions how accurate that claim is and how much value there is in efforts to reduce fertilizer use and ranching to decrease phosphorous in the water. "Some of the impact of phosphorous is natural,” Madin said. “If a large percentage is natural and farmers are not allowed to use phosphorous, it could have no impact on the water quality, but could be detrimental to farmers.” (KBC NOTE: Much of the Klamath Settlement evolved from the 'Phosphorous myth.' It was used to acquire 100,000 acres of ag land in the Upper Basin by Nature Conservancy and feds, and in the settlement agreement it demands 30,000 acre feet more water of the dab they have left. The settlement also says this acquisition and flooding ag land will create more storage when in fact is will evaporate more water.)

***The PHOSPHOROUS SCAM! Mapping out a new mindset/Studies indicate phosphorous occurs naturally, H&N, posted to KBC 2/17/08. (KBC NOTE -- In the Klamath 'settlement' agreement, section 16 tells about 30,000 acre-feet being demanded from Off Project irrigators. Of 150,000 acres of land irrigated by surface water, 100,000 has already been taken out of agriculture and flooded, evaporating much more water than it saves. That leaves 50,000 acres, of which 1/2 must be retired according to this fair settlement, decimating off-Project folks. The excuse of The Nature Conservancy and Gov't agencies and tribes is more water and better water quality, when in fact it evaporates more water, and does not help water quality. Read phosphorous link above. Read Senator Whitsett's scientific knowledge regarding phosphorous. Read Klamath Tribe document on intentions from settlement land and money and taking private ag land -- water quantity and quality, along with casinos and etc.)

Retired vet teaches science in state Capitol. Years of experience help legislator bring rural perspective to issues, Capital Press 2/8/07. “As cattle develop, they convert vegetative phosphorus into muscle and bone. Ranchers are being blamed for polluting the waters with phosphorus while the cattle above the lake are removing as much as 300 tons of phosphorus out of the Upper Klamath Basin each year. What they said the cattle were doing to the lake is impossible.”

Attorney fears federal revision will engulf U.S. (with Clean Water Act); Proposed legislation broadens legal definition of waters of the U.S.’ Capital Press 12/7/07. WRITE! Comment period extended!

Water law proposal alarms, Organization opposes bill that would redefine waters addressed, Capital Press 11/30/07. "If this passes, the federal government will have the authority to control all our water and activities affecting our water, thus pre-empting state and local government authority over land- and water-use decisions..."

Battle Over New Dams Sinks California Water Bond Plan. How The ‘Clean Water Restoration Act’ Would Expand, Not Restore Federal Powers. October 2007 Family Farm Alliance weekly update. 10/15/07

Congress Should Oppose Expansion of the Definition of Waters of the United States, WAC 10/07. "It expands the regulatory authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to include all “intrastate waters” – essentially all wet areas within a state including impoundments, groundwater, ditches, pipes, streets, gutters, and desert features."
Please contact your Congressmen to oppose H.R. 2421/ S. 1870. HERE for information.

ESA does not trump Clean Water Act, Stoel Rives, posted 8/31/07

North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Scott Shasta algae tour, Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong District 5, posted to KBC 9/28/07. "...the Karuk tribe, one of the complainants regarding algae, has been selected to do the collection and analysis of algae samples...They claim that algae has detrimental effects on salmonids as well as people. It is one of the arguments they use for removing the dams."

Board discusses Klamath Watershed, Siskiyou Daily News, posted to KBC 8/23/07. "... he did an excellent job, especially in providing the clarification that the blue-green algae is a natural occurrence – that the source of phosphorous is not purely an act of man but of nature.” (KBC NOTE: Miller, paragraph 10, wrote in his publication that if all nutrients into Klamath Lake were halted (1965) there would be enough nutrients already in the system to keep the same high level of algal productivity for 200 years.)

No secrets, Pioneer Press, posted 8/2/07. Water quality control board had secret tour/meeting with Karuk Tribe, Klamath Forest Alliance subgroup Riverkeeper, and kicked out the press.

* Solution save Klamath Dams: To the attention of Mr. Craig Tucker, fellow (anti-dam)campaigners and Klamath Water Users, from Sean McKinney, Australia,  7/4/07. "Our ancient land down-under (Australia) is like the rest of the world suffering once again from mans interference with nature. The influence on our aquatic environments from our fellow man spreading the land with super - phosphates to enhance crop yields replenish nutrients grow more, better, quicker etc has finally up with us..."
From Craig Tucker to KBC: "Thanks for forwarding this along. It would be worth better understanding what they could to address the algae problem. But note that our push for dam removal comes with or without the algae as the dams remain a barrier to the recovery of salmon even if the human health threat of the toxic algae blooms were addressed." S. Craig Tucker, Ph.D., Klamath Campaign Coordinator, Karuk Tribe of California
From Matt St. John, water quality engineer with CA Water Board regarding Australia solution for algae in the Klamath River,

* Water Quality meeting, Yreka 7/25, "Several local residents are encouraging fellow Siskiyou County residents to attend the meeting to discuss one proposed resolution in particular, authored by Klamath River Basin resident Felice Pace."

Reasons to oppose Clean Water Restoration Act, HR 2421, 7/23/07 Oregon Women for Agriculture

Blue-green algae concerns on water board agenda, Siskiyou Daily News, posted 7/20/07. "(Felice) Pace is requesting the Water Board to order the Montague Irrigation District, operator of Dwinnell Reservoir, “to submit a report of waste discharge and/or to issue waste discharge requirements.”

Important Water Quality Control Board Meeting in Yreka!, by Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou Co. Supervisor, posted 7/19/07, followed by news on Detrimental Mining Bill. "There have been several unsuccessful lawsuits by the Karuk tribe and others to halt suction dredge mining in the Klamath River and its tributaries..AB 1032 was introduced to change the law legislatively and shift the burden of environmental impact analysis onto the backs of individual miners."

Idaho Water Leader to Testify on Clean Water Act, Semanko will represent Western water users at committee hearing, Family Farm Alliance 7/18/07. “The CWRA will extend jurisdiction to virtually all agricultural irrigation facilities, subjecting them to water quality standards the facilities were not designed for and are not operated to support,” said Dan Keppen, Alliance executive director. “Such a jurisdictional extension will paralyze the ability of water users to efficiently operate and maintain these facilities.” Semanko's Testimony

Klamath Water Users Association’s comments to EPA Region 9 regarding the Lower Lost River Draft TMDL, posted 7/10/07