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Feds Tell 9th Circ. Tribal Interests Must End Water Dispute
Law360 (July 1, 2021, 7:22 PM EDT) The federal government on Thursday urged the Ninth Circuit to dismiss a challenge by irrigation districts to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation s plan for allocating water near the California-Oregon border, saying that tribal interests and circuit precedent dictate the result.
To rule in favor of the irrigation districts in the fight over how the Klamath Irrigation Project allocates water to tribes and nontribal groups would require upending the court s 2019 ruling in Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment v. Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Reclamation Bureau said. To do that, the court would likely need to revisit its precedent, the government.
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Ducks Unlimited
A ridge overlooks the lower Klamath Basin, which farmers and conservationists said was like a scene reminiscent of the 1930s Dust Bowl. Growers are working with conservationists to provide habitat for migrating birds. The region will receive $3.8 million from the NRCS to use working ag land as a stopping point for migrating birds.
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Jun 15, 2021 to Jun 17, 2021
In a region fraught with conflict between farmers and environmentalists, some growers in the Klamath Basin are working with a wildlife group to provide habitat for migrating birds – and receiving a small amount of irrigation water in return.
The Tulelake Irrigation District is moving existing water from one drainage pond, or sump, in the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge to another to provide a deeper wetland for northern pintail and other waterfowl.
Tim Hearden
Northern California s Shasta Lake, the centerpiece of the federal Central Valley Project, was at 45% of capacity on May 26, according to the state Department of Water Resources. Agricultural water zeroed out in California as cities cut from 55% to 25% of normal supplies.
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Jun 15, 2021 to Jun 17, 2021
As hydrologic conditions in the West continue to rapidly deteriorate, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on May 26 announced it will not deliver agricultural water through the Central Valley Project in California this summer because of water supplies that tighten by the day.
The agency formally zeroed out an early 5% allocation for ag water supplies north and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and slashed municipal and industrial water from 55% to 25% of normal supplies.
Klamath Basin Farmers Look to Groundwater, Fallowing Land
Wednesday May 19th, 2021
News Reporter With California Ag Today, I’m Tim Hammerich.
The Bureau of Reclamation announced it would be shutting down the Klamath Irrigation Project’s A canal which typically delivers water to farmers along the California/Oregon border. Family Farm Alliance Executive Director Dan Keppen says many farmers will pump groundwater if they can, or fallow land.
Keppen… “With no surface water out there, people are looking to use groundwater and the state of Oregon has, has issued emergency drought permits to allow people to pump groundwater. On the California side, the Tulelake Irrigation District has some wells and they re working out a program to sort of parse the water out down there. But it s not sustainable. I mean, you can only go to it in times of need and then allow it to replenish. And this ll be the second year in a row where we re hitting the groundwater pretty hard. And