David J. Hayes } Klamath River Basin California/Oregon } Colorado - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

David J. Hayes

} Klamath River Basin – California/Oregon } Colorado River Basin – California, Nevada,

Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah

} Sacramento/San Joaquin Bay Delta --

California

} Reclamation Project – Upper Klamath (1905) } Hydroelectric Dams Constructed on Lower

Klamath (1905- 1962)

• Current owner: PacifiCorp/Mid-American

} 1956 Interstate Compact

• Reaction to 1955 Trinity River diversion
• Protects Upper Klamath Basin water from predatory

Californians

} Endangered species

• Coho salmon (1997); Shortnose sucker; Lost River sucker

(1988)

} 2001 Biological Opinions

• Minimum flows; minimum lake levels; cut-off of water to irrigators; Nat’l

Academy of Sciences review } 2002 Fish kill in Lower Klamath } FERC Relicensing Process (2000+) } Upstream Tribal priority water rights call (2013)

} Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (signed

in 2010)

• Balances water among BOR project users (farmers),

fishermen and tribes

• Funds ecosystem restoration projects
• Resolves BOR/Klamath Tribe water disputes

} Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement

(signed in 2010)

• Study/potential removal of 4 hydroelectric dams; EIS

completed; would open up 420 miles of salmon habitat

• Congressional authorization required before removal
• Cost share – State of California; PacifiCorp

} Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Settlement

Agreement

• Signing ceremony tomorrow; Response to Congressional

gridlock (upper basin objections); 2013 tribal water call

– Water use program to increase flows into Upper Klamath Lake, stabilize ag in Upper Basin – Riparian Program – Economic Development Program for Klamath Tribes

} 3 Agreements = Comprehensive Solution

• $495M/10 years
• Can Congress do it?

“Law of the River”

} Colorado River Compact – 1922

– 7.5 MAF to Upper Basin; 7.5 MAF to Lower Basin – California agreement – 3.85 MAF to ag districts – All-American Canal (1938) – Colorado River Aqueduct (1941)

} U.S./Mexico Treaty – 1944 } Arizona v. United States – 1973

} Water Master; Reclamation Project

– Storage issues (interstate); Reservoir operations (Glen Canyon dam pulse flows)

} ESA; Tribal water rights

– Multi-species conservation plan for the Lower Colorado (e.g., willow flycatcher); Upper Colorado conservation plan

– Arizona Water Settlement Act

} Minute 319 with Mexico

} Addresses Mexico’s 1.5 MAF allocation during

drought/surplus

} 5 year agreement

} Allows for Mexico to store water in Lake Mead (mutual

benefits to feds/states/Mexico)

} Provides base flows and periodic pulse flows } Builds on infrastructure improvement investments

following earthquake in Mexico

} Federal involvement in administering state

water rights on the Colorado

• California 4.4 Plan
• QSA – Quantification Settlement Agreement

– Save 800,000 AF/year via conservation and ag-to- urban water transfer; $2B; 75 year contract with SDCWA

} Result: Increased Reliance on Water Exports

through the Bay Delta