Allocation remains at 260,000 acre-feet; need for curtailment diverted
From the Bureau of Reclamation:
Reclamation announced today that the Klamath Project water supply allocation, originally announced on April 13 and increased on May 19, will remain at 260,000 acre-feet and no reductions will be made to Klamath Project water users.
Irrigation districts and Tribes were notified on August 18, that a curtailment may be necessary due to a potential shortfall in water supply. Due to improved hydrology in the Klamath Basin over the last two weeks; opportunities for Upper Klamath Lake water conservation this fall and winter; and coordination with Tribal partners and water users, no curtailments will be necessary.
“The Department appreciates the willingness of our partners to engage in productive conversations to work through the past couple of weeks,” said Matthew Strickler, Department of the Interior Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Parks. “We landed in a place that confirms our commitment to water users and fulfilling environmental needs.”
“Managing the limited supplies of 2023 required close coordination with the entire basin and is a clear example that collaboration and communication is the key to this basin’s future,” said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “We thank the water users and Tribes as well as our partners at NOAA for navigating through the 2023 water year and are grateful for the Department’s all-of-basin leadership with Deputy Assistant Secretary Strickler.”
Reclamation is required to meet a minimum water elevation in Upper Klamath Lake for endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers, as well as to provide streamflows in the Klamath River for threatened salmon.
Reclamation continues to monitor hydrologic conditions and plan for end of season activities as the water year comes to a close.
For more information about Reclamation’s Klamath Basin Area Office’s work to manage and protect water and related resources in Klamath Basin communities, and Klamath Project hydrologic and operations updates visit https://www.usbr.gov/mp/kbaoor contact the Klamath Basin Area Office at 541-883-6935 (TTY 800-877-8339).
