This article was in Sunday’s (March 11th, 2018) Herald and News

Written By: Sean Bassinger, H&N Staff Reporter 

As the Bureau of Reclamation meeting ended just miles away, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., spoke to several farmers and local leaders about his own thoughts on the continued Klamath Basin water crisis.

At least a dozen farmers, city and county officials stopped into the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce offices to hear Walden address this year’s water crisis, which continues to interfere with the day-to-day operations of ranchers, irrigators and Klamath Tribe members.

Many who attended the BOR meeting said they walked away unsatisfied, since they heard little on updates. The Bureau could not provide more details due to ongoing litigation.

“What we do know is it’s going to be a bad water year — and we need to be prepared for it,” Walden said Friday afternoon.

Less rain and a smaller snowpack have led to more pressed conversations about how to move forward. At the BOR meeting, officials said projections for inflows to Upper Klamath Lake have significantly varied since January. Current projections are between 240,000 and 355,000 acre feet.

“This isn’t a regulatory drought — this is an actual drought,” said Klamath County Commissioner Derrick DeGroot. “Mother nature has just not been kind to us this year.”

DeGroot also attended the BoR meeting at the Klamath County Fairgrounds earlier, adding that there did not seem to be many updates on the situation. DeGroot called this “unacceptable.”

“Though I understand the efforts that have to go into getting it done – we don’t need excuses, we need results,” DeGroot said. “It’s got to get done.”

Walden, adding that he’s optimistic, said that he and others, including senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley were talking on steps to take in Washington D.C. Walden said that he would work to get text into a large appropriations bill and some extra funding, though he could not comment on dollar amounts just yet.

“It’s important to understand though that we are working to make sure there’s emergency assistance, with funding, for the Basin going forward,” Walden said.

Those who showed up to the second meeting said they found it refreshing compared to the BOR updates.

Dave Cacka, a fourth-generation farmer out near Malin, said that ongoing disagreements and the lack of updates have all been frustrating.

“As a farmer, I got no answers on if and when I’m going to be irrigate,” Cacka said.

Larry Nicholson, an upper Klamath Basin rancher near Wood River Valley, said he was also satisfied with Walden’s visit Friday. He said an agreement between all parties involved, including Klamath Tribes, would be best handled sooner than later.

“They’re not going to get what they need in court and we won’t either,” Nicholson said. “We just need to move forward, not dwell in the past.”

Dan Keppen, executive director of the Family Farm Alliance, shared similar thoughts on collaboration with farmers, the tribes and environmentalists moving forward. Keppen also said that the situation would only become tougher if lawmakers cannot find funding solutions by March 23.

“Right now, not everybody’s at the table,” Keppen said. “This is going to happen every year if we don’t have a settlement plan.”

To read this article and others on the Herald and News website, please refer to the following link:

Walden ‘Optimistic’ on Emergency Funds, Talks to Solve Water Crisis (H&N)