Klamath Basin

The federal government has allocated $38 million in wildfire funding to three areas of high risk in Oregon.

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced more than $72 million for the Klamath Basin on Wednesday.

Salmon populations in the Scott and Shasta rivers have crashed, so state officials are about to restrict irrigation again. And the controversial rules may even become permanent.

Farmers in the Klamath Basin that rely on scarce water won’t have to deal with cuts for the rest of the month, according to federal water managers. Water users had been warned last month about a potential shortfall.

For over a century, four hydroelectric dams along the Oregon-California border have cut off habitat to fish swimming up the Klamath River from the ocean. Now, researchers are in the midst of a project to learn how fish will use this ecosystem once the dams are removed.

On Tuesday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a new batch of funding for ecosystem restoration in the Klamath Basin. The region along the Oregon-California border has been hit with multi-year droughts, and suffers from excess demand for water.

The permits, also called Emergency Use permits, allow users like farmers and ranchers who don’t have groundwater rights to access that water during an emergency drought declaration when above-ground sources, like rivers and lakes, are too low.

The four-dam teardown brings hope and uncertainty to residents in an area of Southern Oregon and Northern California where drought has made water a source of fierce controversy.

The Klamath Basin has been plagued by drought and a lack of water for years, and issues persist. The effects are far-reaching for tribes, ranchers, farmers, waterfowl advocates, and people who rely on residential wells.

The marsh is part of an innovative restoration project at Lakeside Farms. It’s a hopeful demonstration of cooperation in a region that has seen bitter fights between tribes, farmers, and wildlife advocates over who gets scarce water.

The Klamath Basin provides a cautionary tale for Oregon about the need to plan more intentionally and sustainably with its shrinking water supply.

The headgates of the A Canal, the main irrigation artery to the federally managed Klamath Project at the outlet of Upper Klamath Lake, have once again become a site for activism during the third straight year of punishing drought in the Klamath Basin.