Tribes Slam Federal Water Plan for Klamath River

Tribes Slam Federal Water Plan for Klamath River

by Dan Bacher

The Hoopa Valley and Yurok Tribes criticized a federal environment assessment to release supplemental flows from Trinity Reservoir this August and September for not doing enough to prevent a fish kill on the lower Klamath River, since the proposal releases only half the water requested by scientists.

Continued dry hydrologic conditions and the recent discovery of the presence of "Ich," the fish disease thought primarily responsible for the fish kill of September 2002, when an estimated 35,000 to 78,000 adult salmon perished, prompted the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to supplement flows to the lower Klamath River in 2015. The Yurok Tribe discovered the outbreak of "Ich" on the lower river five weeks earlier than it found the disease last year.

"The Proposed Action includes supplemental flows to prevent a disease outbreak and a contingency volume to be used on an emergency basis to avoid a significant die-off of adult salmon," said Erin Curtis of Reclamation. "Real-time environmental and biological monitoring by federal, state and tribal biologists would be used to determine if and when to implement supplemental flows."

The Draft EA was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and is available at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=22309. If you encounter problems accessing the document online, please call 916-978-5100 or email mppublicaffairs [at] usbr.gov.

The Bureau's environmental assessment calls for 32,000 acre-feet of water from Trinity Reservoir to be released from Lewiston Dam between August 19 and September 20 to help remove the pathogens and to cool the water to spur further upriver migration by fall-run Chinook salmon, according to the Eureka Times-Standard. The proposed releases would increase the flows to 2,500 cfs - the same releases used last year to prevent a fish kill. (http://www.times-standard.com/general-news/20150803/tribes-blast-feds-klamath-plan)

However, the Bureau proposal provides for only half of the 63,700 acre feet of water that the Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes had requested of the agency to sustain flows of 2,800 cfs.

The Hoopa Valley Tribe said BOR's proposal outlining proposed flow releases from the Trinity River "does little to protect fish and does not use the best available science."

"The Hoopa Valley Tribe has submitted a scientific and technically sound proposal to protect returning Chinook salmon that BOR has rejected," according to a statement from the Tribe.

Mike Orcutt, Fisheries Director for the Tribe, said, "It is disheartening after having put all of our resources into a good faith effort to develop a sound and scientifically valid proposal to have it be rejected. Further, much to our dismay BOR now puts forth a scientifically untested and cumbersome proposal offered by federal agencies who profess to be fishery experts.”

Orcutt said, "It seems that Interior is considering last minute proposals not intended to protect fish but rather meet political agendas (CVP water supplies) of San Joaquin Valley Agribusiness."

"It's now come to the 11th hour and we're still entertaining arm chair quarterback approaches to protecting Klamath-Trinity River fish," he added, noting that BOR will finalize its EA on Friday, August 7.

"If a fish kill does occur, it will be environmentally and politically devastating, but a direct reflection to how this administration has managed water resources," said Hoopa Tribal Chairman, Ryan Jackson. "Another fish kill on the Klamath River would be devastating to North coast communities, especially when Interior can still make the right choice and protect our culture and way of life."

"Why are our people reduced to hauling dead fish from our river, instead of working with our trustees to prevent the disease that BOR’s operations cause?” Jackson asked.

"Everyone knows that the Klamath River is in the state of environmental collapse and daily reports on the conditions of the river foretell an imminent fish kill," he added. "Both Hoopa and Yurok Tribes have done everything in their power legally and scientifically to convince Interior. We fully intend to work with anyone that wants to help save Klamath Basin salmon. We're hoping to get Humboldt County on board and collectively accomplish that."

The Tribe said residents of the Klamath and Trinity Rivers are "fed up with the deplorable water conditions" while their water is being piped over the hill to Central Valley agribusinesses.

Trinity River water is shipped, via a tunnel through the Trinity Mountains, to the Sacramento River watershed to Whiskeytown Reservoir and Clear Creek. The water is used by corporate agribusiness interests farming toxic, drainage-impaired lands on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley to grow almonds, pistachios, watermelons and other crops.

Mike Belchik, Yurok Tribe senior fisheries biologist, said, “We think that right now conditions on the river warrant a commitment of the release of a preventative flow."

In addition, Belchik noted that the Bureau's proposal makes it unclear whether a release would ever take place even with a deadly pathogen already being detected on fish concentrated near one of the river’s tributaries.

On July 23, Yurok Fisheries crews conducting routine fish disease monitoring found that salmon in the Klamath River on the Yurok Reservation are infected with Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, commonly known as ich (pronounced “ick”),

“This is an early warning sign for the fall migration of salmon in the Klamath River. It means that the risk of a catastrophic fish kill, such as happened in 2002, is high," said Belchik.

The Hoopa Valley Tribe has decided to protest the Bureau's decision at a public scheduled scoping hearing on the Klamath River Long Term flow plan EIS on Wednesday, 5pm, at the Red Roof Inn, 4975 Valley West Blvd. Arcata CA.

"We are already seeing diseased and dying salmon in the Klamath and Trinity rivers and the mouth of the Klamath River is nearly closed off during low tides," according to an action alert from the Tribe. "Most of our communities cannot drink the water, and some are completely without running water."

"Yet, BOR released a proposal last Friday that is supposed to protect returning salmon but is not based upon the best available science and is inadequate to prevent a fish kill this year? The Klamath River is on the state of environmental collapse and daily reports of conditions on the river predict an imminent fish kill."

For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/896618100415479/

Please email comments by close of business, Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, to sha-slo-krff2015 [at] usbr.gov, or mail comments to Kylene Lang, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-152, Sacramento, CA 95825, or email comments to 916-978-5055.