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Klamath Water Users urge new Reclamation plan, raise power and billing concerns
Summary
Klamath Water Users Association leaders told the Klamath County Board of Commissioners that recent Department of Interior legal guidance alters how the Endangered Species Act applies to Link River Dam operations, and they sought county support on power cost, historical billing complaints, and opposition to Senate Bill 1153.
Elizabeth Nielsen, executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association, told the Klamath County Board of Commissioners that new legal guidance from the U.S. Department of the Interior requires reconsultation with the Bureau of Reclamation and a new operational plan for the project.
"This legal guidance says that, that operation of Upper Klamath Lake and specifically Link River Dam for the purposes of flood control and project deliveries is a nondiscretionary," Nielsen said. She added that the project currently is being operated under a plan developed in late 2024 and that the association’s top priority is securing a revised plan through consultation with Reclamation.
Why it matters: Nielsen said the current plan leaves irrigators vulnerable in years that are not as wet as the present one, and that meeting irrigation needs this year was possible only because of unusually good water conditions. The association also raised…
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