Klamath County hears update on managed aquifer recharge study and a $20,000 funding request

Klamath County commissioners heard an update Jan. 15 on a multi‑year study examining managed aquifer recharge as a tool to preserve groundwater and support agriculture, and were asked to consider $20,000 to finish a feasibility package and conduct partner outreach.

The study, begun under an earlier contract with Brown and Caldwell and continued by Jacobs Engineering, identifies infiltration basins and other passive recharge methods as the county’s preferred approach because they avoid the higher costs and regulatory requirements associated with aquifer storage and recovery wells, a Jacobs presenter said. Consultants highlighted the Lost River as a recurring potential source of skimmable flow in high‑water periods and described candidate sites near Klamath Falls, Spring Lake, Merrill, and Dry Lake.

County Public Works staff and project presenters said the work combined hydrograph analyses (1974–2023), well logs and geological data to estimate conservative storage volumes (a cited example: about 1,000 acre‑feet for Dry Lake if operations had occurred since 1974) and to screen potential sites. Maria Dougherty, introduced as the project’s technical lead and a Ph.D. with prior managed recharge work in the Yakima Basin, presented the engineering approach and monitoring ideas. Erin Daycox, who described herself as a longtime Klamath Falls resident and project organizer, said the intent is to move from study to pilot projects that could be monitored and opened to public telemetry for transparency.

Why it matters: presenters and participants said MARR could bolster shallow domestic and municipal wells, provide irrigation resilience for the county’s agricultural economy and offer a management strategy that might reduce the need for a future critical groundwater designation.

During discussion, staff identified two near‑term grant pathways: Bureau of Reclamation “small storage” programs (presenters cited a ceiling figure of about $43,000,000 and a 200‑acre‑foot match threshold as parameters to check) and Reclamation’s Drought Response program (presenters cited program ceilings in the millions). Presenters said the next step to pursue Reclamation funding is a feasibility assessment; several of the feasibility elements have already been completed but $20,000 is needed to finish technical writing, figures and cost estimates and to convene partner outreach (estimated as $10,000 for partner outreach and $10,000 to finish the feasibility submission).

Commissioners did not take a funding vote at the meeting; staff were told the request could go to the county finance committee for review and that further scheduling with the Water Users Association, Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) and Bureau of Reclamation would be required. County and stakeholder representatives urged collaboration and public workshops to build shared technical understanding before a pilot test.

Presenters and participants also noted existing regulatory constraints: EPA requirements typically increase costs for direct injection ASR wells, and OWRD has placed moratoria on some municipal water rights and groundwater uses in parts of the basin, which presenters said has limited new well development. Climate Water Users Association representatives and state legislators have been briefed and may assist with outreach and potential funding.

Next steps identified by staff and consultants included partner workshops, finalizing the feasibility assessment for a July 15 Reclamation application window, targeted monitoring design for any pilot, and running the funding request through county finance.