1. Introduction: Nestled between the foothills of the Cascade Range and the Great Basin Desert of eastern Oregon, the Upper Klamath Basin includes the upper Klamath River, the Butte Valley, the Lost, Williamson, and Sprague rivers and their tributaries. Land in the basin falls under a wide range of ownership including federal, state, tribal, and private landholders. The Upper Klamath Basin encompasses approximately 7.5 million acres. Upper Klamath Lake: S Largest natural body of fresh water in the Pacific Northwest S Surface area approximately 140 square miles S Mean summer depth of about 8 feet S Maximum depth of about 58 feet S Drainage area 3,800 square miles S Lake Inflow: Williamson and Sprague Rivers supply about one-half Wood River Spring flow and groundwater seepage S Lake Outflow: Drained at the southern end by the Link River Link River Dam regulates flow from Upper Klamath Lake. Results of Water Management Failure: S Low flows in 2002 resulted in the biggest fish kill in U.S. history. S Pelican nesting areas at Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge are frequently dewatered by Klamath Project irrigation diversions, exposing birds to predators and destroying habitat S Alteration of habitat by humans has led to several species of sucker fish being placed on the endangered species list Abstract: Upper Klamath Lake is the primary source of surface water for the Klamath Basin. Lake inflow is supplied by the Williamson and Wood Rivers as well as groundwater input via springs and seeps. Outflow consists of high evaporation rates and divergence of water either over Link River Dam or through “A” canal. Surface water uses include; stream flow maintenance, irrigation, hydro-electric power, flood control releases, reservoir storage, and wildlife refuges. Climactic variations have a major impact on flows. The Klamath Basin has a high demand for water, but not a sufficiently stable supply. Conclusions: There is no easy solution to the water issues in the Klamath Basin. A centaury of promises has been made that simply cannot be kept. Despite a seemingly bleak outlook, The Klamath Basin water problem does not have to be a win-loose situation where some groups come out on top at the expense of the others. A road map of suggestions to resolving the conflict could include the following: SMore cooperation and greater flexibility in water allocation SPrior agreement on how to share water during years of scarcity SCompletion of the Oregon Water Rights Adjudication Process to provide clarity on water rights including quantity of water SFurther Scientific Research to provide decision makers with firm scientific standing upon which to base environmental decisions SConsideration of legitimate needs of all parties involved including Native Americans, Farmers, Fishermen, and Endangered Species References Cited Overview of the Upper Klamath Lake and Agency Lake TMDL, State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, http://www.deq.state.or.us/WQ/TMDLs/KlamathBasin/UKLDrainage/AssessmentLake.pdf. May 20,2006 Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Klamath Basin. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. http://www.fws.gov/klamathfallsfwo/ero/eroea/ero_ea.pdf. May 20, 2006 The Klamath National Wildlife Refuges. The Klamath Basin Coalition http://www.klamathbasin.info/refuges.htm. May 20, 2006 Upper Klamath Lake Drainage total maximum daily load (TMDL) and Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP), State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/frewin/projects/waterqual/UprKlamathTMDL.pdf May 20,2006 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation, Natural Flow of the Upper Klamath River, Reclamation: Managing Water in the West, November 2005 U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Klamath Lake Basin Nutrient-Loading Study - Assessment of Historic Flows in the Williamson and Sprague Rivers, Water-Resources Investigations Report 98–4198, Portland OR 1999 Water Allocation in the Klamath Reclamation Project, 2001: An Assessment of Natural Resource, Economic, Social, and Institutional Issues With a Focus on the Upper Klamath Basin, Braunworth et al. Oregon State University, http://www.krisweb.com/biblio/klamath_osu_braunworthetal_2002_h20allocation.pdf. May 20,2006 Precarious Balance: Surface Water Budgets for the Upper Klamath Basin Prepared By: Rachel Pirot ES 473 Environmental Geology www.nrdc.org/onearth/ 02win/klamath1.asp www.klamathbasin.info/ refuges.htm www.krisweb.com/.../ html/krisweb/whats_new.htm www.klamathwaterquality.com/ project.htm www.coastalconservancy.ca.gov/.../ one_photos.htm http://klamathwaterlib.oit.edu/WaterLibContent/image/475.pdf Hydrology Overview: S High snowfall levels result in substantial release of melt-water in the spring. S Water flows down into the basin, either in streams or as ground water. S Soils are highly porous and encourage groundwater seepage. S Soils are prone to erosion and compaction once disturbed. S Flatlands and marshes allow spring flood waters to spread out and dissipate. S Streams of the Upper Klamath Basin join together into several major rivers Williamson and Sprague Rivers in the north Lost River system in the South. S Upper Klamath Lake serves as the primary reservoir S Draining of natural wetlands as well as draining and diversion of rivers has seriously impacted the Basin’s ecology and wildlife. S More than 75% of the basins wetlands have been drained and converted to agricultural use. S Water demand in the basin exceeds supply Figure 5 - chart shows two sample tests for differences in Williamson and Sprague River annual runoff for two periods (1922-1950 and 1951-1996) Historical flow data from the Williamson River and Sprague River drainages suggest that runoff patterns have changed as a result of human impacts on land use patterns Risley and Laenen, 1998 Surface Water Uses: Stream flow maintenance: S In the early 1900's, Reclamation instituted the Klamath Project, an extensive system of dikes, canals, and dams constructed throughout the basin to drain the marshes and provide irrigation water to previously dry fields. Irrigation: S 502,000 acres of private irrigated land in the basin. S 188,000 of which belong to the Klamath Project S 314,000 acres of irrigated lands are outside the Project area Tribal Use: S Native American tribes have rights to Klamath River water in order to maintain their traditional way of life Hydro-electric power: S The Link River Dam is one of many sources of hydroelectric power on the Klamath River Flood control releases: S High snowfall results in substantial release of melt-water in the spring S Dams help reroute spring floods to protect reclaimed farmland Reservoir storage: S Springtime flows can raise Upper Klamath Lake elevations as much as 3 feet above normal summertime lake operating levels S Average retention time for Upper Klamath Lake is about 0.35 years Wildlife refuges: S Includes national wildlife refuges, parks, and forests. S Lakes, marshes, and wetlands host an abundance of plants and animals S Home to sucker fish, bull trout and redband trout Figure 7 - Aftermath of the 2002 Fish Kill Figure 6 - Effects of Dewatering at Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge Figure 8 - Agricultural Land Use Plays a Major Role in the Klamath Basin Figure 1 - Klamath Basin Agriculture Figure 2 - Link River Dam Figure 4- Map of Upper Klamath Basin Natural Flow of the Upper Klamath River Figure 3 - Sketch of the current conditions and types of changes that are taking place in the Upper Klamath Basin