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The Klamath Basin, located along the California-Oregon border, is mired in extreme drought. In May, the federal government announced that it would cut irrigation water in the basin, igniting tensions between farmers and Indigenous tribes in the region. The situation is the result of a long and complex story born from Indigenous rights issues, mutual struggle, and failed agreements.
Water cuts were made to preserve species of suckerfish—which are sacred to local tribes—along with coho and chinook salmon that travel the Klamath river to spawn. Studies show that low lake levels in the region, when combined with other factors, can lead to high mortality of the species that Tribes have relied on for millennia and which form the foundation of their livelihood. The crisis has brought hostility towards Tribes to the fore; this summer, tribal members have removed feathers from rearview mirrors to try and prevent vandalism of cars.
Earlier this summer, frustrated locals whose own livelihoods are at stake threatened to ignore the government's decision and forcibly open canal gates to commandeer irrigation water. The aggressive tactic has been used once before in the region with only minimal success, but proponents are hoping for support from public-lands extremist Ammon Bundy.
The entire situation demonstrates the need for water-sharing agreements in any drought-prone area. In 2010, a historic agreement was hammered out to resolve water sharing and seemed ready to move forward. “It was a work of art. It was incredible,” said Ben DuVal, president of the Klamath Water Users Association and a third-generation farmer.
Components woven into the agreement and companion agreements included a return of tribal land and investment in tribal communities, wetland habitat restoration and improved irrigation infrastructure, and the removal of four privately-owned hydroelectric dams in the region. All agreements in the deal were signed by both the Oregon and California governors. However, Congress failed to pass necessary legislation for the plan to go into effect, primarily due to concerns about dam removal.
Although tensions are running high, some in the region hope for another water agreement. To succeed, everyone involved may need to take a step back, take a breath, and remember that everyone else is struggling too.
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This is the summer of climate change... This is not political hyperbole. It is a scientific consensus that is jarring the life of every Washingtonian in some way.”
