In March, after the removal of four dams created a spike in sediment and heavy metals going downstream, residents raised concerns to the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors about elevated levels of arsenic and lead.
Supervisors voted 4-1 to declare a local emergency and sent an emergency request to Governor Gavin Newsom’s office.
Earlier this month, that request was denied.
An Aug. 8 letter issued by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said there are numerous safeguards in place to “ensure that the anticipated short-term impact from the Lower Klamath Dam Removal Project does not adversely impact human health.” It cited existing state and federal requirements for treating surface water used for drinking and mitigation by the Klamath River Renewal Corporation for public water sources below the dams.
The letter also said that it is unlikely that recreational activities on the river will lead to adverse health effects. That assessment is in line with testing done by KRRC.
The denial letter was posted to the county's website last Friday.
Ed Valenzuela, the only Siskiyou County Supervisor who voted against the emergency request, said there is no significant data to support an emergency declaration.
“Is the river different from what it was before? Yes. Is it the ‘river of death’ that some people have alluded to? No, it has not reached that level,” Valenzuela said.
He added that residents who live nearby the river have been aware of toxic algae blooms caused by the slow-moving water collecting behind the dams for years, and that residential wells had not gone dry in large enough numbers to warrant an emergency declaration.
“This was a project that was 10 years in the making,” Valenzuela said. “It was a significant event, but they knew that some of that stuff was going to happen. They knew when they let some of the sediment go through that there was going to be a change in water quality.”
According to the letter from OES, no public health advisory had been issued by the County and “conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property does not exist.”
State agencies including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will continue to work with the County to monitor water quality.
Correction: This article has been updated to include that testing was completed by KRRC.
