KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The Bureau of Reclamation today announced its 2017 Klamath Project (Project) Operations Plan (Plan). The Plan is based upon the expected hydrologic conditions from the April 1 Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) inflow forecasts and current reservoir elevations.
“Klamath Project water users are looking forward to a great water year," said Pablo Arroyave, Reclamation’s Mid-Pacific Acting Regional Director. “We are experiencing the best hydrologic conditions since 2011, and it’s a refreshing start for the irrigation season."
The Plan outlines water deliveries for the 2017 irrigation season for more
than 200,000 irrigated acres in southern Oregon and northern California.
The Plan provides an estimate of the 2017 water supply available for the
Project and the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, the volume of water
to be released to the Klamath River for Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed
threatened coho salmon, and the volume of water to be reserved in Upper
Klamath Lake (UKL) for ESA-listed endangered Lost River and shortnose
suckers. The Plan is also used by agricultural water users, Klamath Basin
tribes, national wildlife refuge managers, and others as a planning and
informational tool.
As of April 1, the snowpack was 122 percent of average and the total
precipitation was 139 percent of average. This is the first time the
Klamath Basin has had a wet winter since the release in 2013 of the
Biological Opinions on the Effects of Proposed Klamath Project
Operations from May 31, 2013, through March 31, 2023, on Five Federally
Listed Threatened and Endangered Species
(2013 BiOp).
As of April 1, UKL had an elevation of 4,142.70 feet, which is equivalent
to approximately 465,596 acre-feet of storage. The NRCS April 1 forecast
for inflows to UKL from April 1 to Sept. 30 is 615,000 acre-feet, about 128
percent of average inflow. Under these conditions, the Project supply
consistent with the 2013 BiOp from UKL for the 2017 irrigation season is
expected to be 390,000 acre-feet, which is a full supply.
Based on current lake levels and projected inflows for Clear Lake and
Gerber reservoirs, the anticipated water supplies for the 2017 irrigation
season are 35,000 acre-feet from Clear Lake Reservoir and approximately
35,000 acre-feet from Gerber Reservoir; both are 100 percent of a full
supply.
Despite a forecasted full supply, the Plan encourages water conservation to
ensure available water throughout the season. Reclamation will manage
Project deliveries throughout the irrigation season to meet requirements
under the 2013 BiOp and all other legal and contractual obligations.
The Project’s 2017 Operations Plan is available online at
https://www.usbr.gov/mp/kbao/programs/ops-planning.html
. If you encounter problems accessing the document, please call
916-978-5100 (TTY 800-877-8339) or email mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.
For more information, please contact Laura Williams at 541-880-2581 or ljwilliams@usbr.gov.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
