Saying that more water should be available to irrigators, the executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association expressed his frustration with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s initial allocation of water for the region.

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“It’s very, very disappointing and we’re not in a situation where the number needs to be that low for any reason whatsoever. There’s water in the system,” Paul Simmons said.

Farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin are set to receive a water supply of 230,000 acre-feet, about 35% less than the estimated need, according to the KWUA. The Bureau announced its allocation in mid-April.

“There should be more water available, and we’re going to do what we can to improve the situation,” Simmons said.

He hoped for additional allocations but said farmers can’t plan or finance a crop with water uncertainty. “At some point, it’s too late,” he added.

In 2023, additional allocations came in May, bumping up an initial supply of 215,000 acre-feet to 260,000 acre-feet.

Simmons said some farms haven’t received water in five years, leading to poor soils and impacting their ability to deliver on contracts.

Favorable water conditions

Moss Driscroll, director of water policy for KWUA, said in a news release that conditions in the Klamath Basin are favorable and better than last year, when the allocation was larger.

“This winter, we have watched water be released to flush sediment into the Klamath River to mitigate impacts of dam removal. We have bent over backwards to put water on our national wildlife refuges,” Simmons said, adding that Upper Klamath Lake would be full for the first time in seven years and the snowpack was healthy.

“Yet we are looking at the fifth-worst allocation in the 120 years since the Klamath Project was authorized,” Simmons said.

On May 1, the Klamath Basin’s snow-water-equivalent was 109% of the median for the years 1991 to 2020, according to the USDA National Resources Conservation Service.

Agency reasoning

The Klamath Basin’s allocation is derived from observed winter and spring runoff and anticipated remaining inflows, along with Endangered Species Act and other requirements within the river and Upper Klamath Lake.

Although the region received normal winter precipitation and briefly experienced limited flood operations in March and early April, conditions haven’t fully rebounded from consecutive years of drought, according to a Bureau of Reclamation news release.

“We are pleased the hydrology for the 2024 water year continues to be favorable over last year’s but we recognize that inflows into Upper Klamath Lake have not materialized in a manner that allows all water demands to be met with this allocation,” said Karl Stock, Reclamation’s regional director.

“Looking forward, we will use real-time monitoring and forecasting information to provide updates to the allocation as it becomes available,” Stock added.

The Bureau of Reclamation also announced $8.5 million in funding for Klamath Basin communities to support drought resiliency and $5 million for area tribes impacted by drought.

Clear Lake and Gerber Reservoir each had allocations of 35,000 acre-feet from the Bureau of Reclamation.

Those provide water from the Lost River system to two districts on the east side of the Klamath Project.

That supply will not result in a significant shortage for those districts, according to the KWUA.