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Groups Want PacifiCorp Held Accountable for Toxic Discharges into Klamath River
The Klamath Riverkeeper, Karuk Tribe and commerical fishermen today petitioned the California Water Board to stop toxic dicharges into the Klamath River.
NEWS RELEASE
Klamath Riverkeeper
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations
Karuk Tribe of California
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 20, 2007
Contacts:
Regina Chichizola, Klamath Riverkeeper: 541-951-0126
Glen Spain, PCFFA: 541-689-2000
Craig Tucker. Karuk Tribe: 530-627-3446 x3027
GROUPS WANT PACIFICORP HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR TOXIC DISCHARGES
Riverkeeper, Karuk Tribe, and Commercial Fishermen Petition CA Water Boards to Control Toxic Discharges from Klamath Dams
SACRAMENTO, CA- Today the Klamath Riverkeeper, the Karuk Tribe of California, and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association (PCFFA) jointly petitioned for the California State Water Board to hold PacifiCorp accountable for dangerously high blooms of toxic blue green algae in Klamath reservoirs. Since 2005, Iron Gate and Copco reservoirs have seen some of the most toxic blooms of the toxic algae Microcystis aeruginosa ever recorded in the United States (see http://www.karuk.us/press/06-08-08%20toxic%20reservoirs.pdf for details).
Health experts warn that even modest exposure to the toxin produced by the algae, called microcystin, can lead to skin rashes, vomiting, and diarrhea. High doses of the toxin, such as those found in the Klamath reservoirs each summer, could lead to massive liver failure and even death in humans. Microcystin also can poison and kill fish and wildlife.
“We want the California Water Board to hold PacifiCorp accountable for their dam’s pollution before someone gets sick,” said Klamath Riverkeeper Regina Chichizola.
According to the petitioners, the State water boards not only have the authority but the mandate to protect the public from toxins like these in water bodies. “PacifiCorp is clearly in violation of California’s Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act and it’s the responsibility of the California State Water Boards to hold corporate polluters like PacifiCorp accountable and require them to clean it up,” said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA).
The Iron Gate and Copco reservoirs, behind the Klamath dams, have not only become “toxic algae factories” that generate microcystin, as set forth in the petition, but also have caused deteriorating water quality. Petitioners say the toxic releases have made many people not use the Klamath River.
For Karuk ceremonial leaders and participants, the toxic blooms also constitute an infringement on their freedom to practice their religion. During certain ceremonies, participants bath in the river for long periods of time making them especially susceptible to exposure. “This is one of the ways that companies like PacifiCorp are complicit in the genocide of Native American Cultures,” said Leaf Hillman, a Karuk Ceremonial leader and tribal Vice-chairman.
PacifiCorp’s dams provide optimal growth conditions for the toxic algae by trapping nutrient rich water in shallow warm reservoirs. Last year the microcystin toxin levels behind the Klamath dams exceeded World Health Organization guidelines for a “moderate health risk” by nearly 4,000 fold. Neither the United States EPA nor the State of California as yet have independent guidelines for these toxins.
The Klamath dams are owned by Portland-based PacifiCorp, which in turn is owned by Billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Company. Although the Buffett family has a reputation for philanthropy, particularly among Native American causes, they have shown little interest in addressing the negative impacts their own company has had on the Klamath River Tribes and the West Coast salmon fishery.
Tribes, commercial and sport fishermen, Humboldt County, many river-based businesses, conservation groups, several state and federal agencies, and the Governors of California and Oregon have all called for the removal of the dams as a means to restore sustainable runs of salmon to what was once the third most productive salmon river in America. The human health impacts of the reservoirs have also been held up as a reason for dam removal.
According to Chichizola, “its hard to imagine how a guy like Warren Buffett can ignore the devastating impacts his company is having on the rural communities of the Klamath Basin and the economies of west coast fishing communities.”
# # #
Klamath Riverkeeper
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations
Karuk Tribe of California
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 20, 2007
Contacts:
Regina Chichizola, Klamath Riverkeeper: 541-951-0126
Glen Spain, PCFFA: 541-689-2000
Craig Tucker. Karuk Tribe: 530-627-3446 x3027
GROUPS WANT PACIFICORP HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR TOXIC DISCHARGES
Riverkeeper, Karuk Tribe, and Commercial Fishermen Petition CA Water Boards to Control Toxic Discharges from Klamath Dams
SACRAMENTO, CA- Today the Klamath Riverkeeper, the Karuk Tribe of California, and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association (PCFFA) jointly petitioned for the California State Water Board to hold PacifiCorp accountable for dangerously high blooms of toxic blue green algae in Klamath reservoirs. Since 2005, Iron Gate and Copco reservoirs have seen some of the most toxic blooms of the toxic algae Microcystis aeruginosa ever recorded in the United States (see http://www.karuk.us/press/06-08-08%20toxic%20reservoirs.pdf for details).
Health experts warn that even modest exposure to the toxin produced by the algae, called microcystin, can lead to skin rashes, vomiting, and diarrhea. High doses of the toxin, such as those found in the Klamath reservoirs each summer, could lead to massive liver failure and even death in humans. Microcystin also can poison and kill fish and wildlife.
“We want the California Water Board to hold PacifiCorp accountable for their dam’s pollution before someone gets sick,” said Klamath Riverkeeper Regina Chichizola.
According to the petitioners, the State water boards not only have the authority but the mandate to protect the public from toxins like these in water bodies. “PacifiCorp is clearly in violation of California’s Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act and it’s the responsibility of the California State Water Boards to hold corporate polluters like PacifiCorp accountable and require them to clean it up,” said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA).
The Iron Gate and Copco reservoirs, behind the Klamath dams, have not only become “toxic algae factories” that generate microcystin, as set forth in the petition, but also have caused deteriorating water quality. Petitioners say the toxic releases have made many people not use the Klamath River.
For Karuk ceremonial leaders and participants, the toxic blooms also constitute an infringement on their freedom to practice their religion. During certain ceremonies, participants bath in the river for long periods of time making them especially susceptible to exposure. “This is one of the ways that companies like PacifiCorp are complicit in the genocide of Native American Cultures,” said Leaf Hillman, a Karuk Ceremonial leader and tribal Vice-chairman.
PacifiCorp’s dams provide optimal growth conditions for the toxic algae by trapping nutrient rich water in shallow warm reservoirs. Last year the microcystin toxin levels behind the Klamath dams exceeded World Health Organization guidelines for a “moderate health risk” by nearly 4,000 fold. Neither the United States EPA nor the State of California as yet have independent guidelines for these toxins.
The Klamath dams are owned by Portland-based PacifiCorp, which in turn is owned by Billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Company. Although the Buffett family has a reputation for philanthropy, particularly among Native American causes, they have shown little interest in addressing the negative impacts their own company has had on the Klamath River Tribes and the West Coast salmon fishery.
Tribes, commercial and sport fishermen, Humboldt County, many river-based businesses, conservation groups, several state and federal agencies, and the Governors of California and Oregon have all called for the removal of the dams as a means to restore sustainable runs of salmon to what was once the third most productive salmon river in America. The human health impacts of the reservoirs have also been held up as a reason for dam removal.
According to Chichizola, “its hard to imagine how a guy like Warren Buffett can ignore the devastating impacts his company is having on the rural communities of the Klamath Basin and the economies of west coast fishing communities.”
# # #
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When talking with the good folks at the FEMA meeting it seemed so obvious to many residents in the Eureka conference room that removal of the Klamath dams would solve several threats to the salmon all at once, with the lowest cost option..
The build-up of Microcystis aeruginosa is a direct correlation with water lower flows and obstructions caused by the lower four dams. In addition, removal of the dams would allow for continuous water flows and less suitable habitat for the toxic algae..
This outcome following dam removal is far more favorable than the FEMA proposal of algicide in the reservoir lakes above the lower four dams. The algicide works by splitting or 'lysing' the algal cells and the cystin toxins are released into the reservoir lakes all at once following the algicide 'treatment'..
Residual toxins from the massive algal die-off that are released following algicide's lysing treatment could linger in the reservoir lakes for several months or longer. This build-up of toxins would also be potentially lethal to spawning salmon or migratory juveniles..
In Nebraska's lakes, toxic algae blooms from fertilizer runoff have also caused great problems with water quality, though even here scientists warn about the dangers of using algicide to 'solve' the problem..
"In addition to reducing man’s contribution to the problem, state and university officials are also examining various treatment options. Although there are chemical treatment options that can reduce algae growth, those options are not necessarily practical if a lake is experiencing an algae bloom, Lund said. The chemicals can effectively kill algae, but when the algae dies, it releases the toxins into the water. In other words, treatment has the potential of causing a sudden increase in toxins in a lake, if the treatment takes place when there is already a large algal bloom."
entire article @;
http://www.deq.state.ne.us/Newslett.nsf/pages/Win04-1
We're lucky in CA to have faster flowing rivers than Nebraska that would ordinarily wash the algae away if it wasn't for those darned obstructions of river flow that we call the lower four Klamath dams! Of course many of the lakes in Nebraska are also trapped rivers..
That doesn't mean the fertilizers should be dumped into the river upstream unregulated for water quality, though without the four obstructions to the natural river flow the same fertilizer input would result in less dangerous algae outbreaks and build-up in reservoir lakes..
If i were a farmer in the Klamath Basin (maybe someday i'll try it!), i would not be thrilled to watch all my fertilizer being washed away into the watershed anyway, partially because fertilizer is valuable and should be conserved for the benefits of the soil in addition to protecting the watershed!!
Some farmers in Florida are working together with the community to reduce their runoff quota into the Gulf of Mexico, as fertilizer runoff is the main contribution to the deadly red tide toxic algal outbreaks..
"Slow-release fertilizer cuts down on the amount of fertilizer being used, reducing potentially harmful runoff.
Whitmore, a Solutions to Avoid Red Tide board member for years, stopped short of saying fertilizer leads to red tide. But she said cutting down on fertilizer runoff can only lead to healthier bays and estuaries.
"Less fertilizer means less runoff and pollution in our bays and the environment," she said. "We have to be better stewards with our lands. We should at least start with county properties so we can educate the public and then we can get them to do it. We need to set a good example."
Sarasota County implemented a similar ordinance last year. Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton pushed the initiative before his election in 2000. Sarasota's ordinance requires integrated pest management and a least-toxic approach to treat all county property, except hospital and school grounds.
"We did it as a leadership tool to show people that you can still have great-looking landscaping with these approaches," Thaxton said.
He's also advocating an ordinance that would require most property owners to treat lawns and gardens with slow-release fertilizer during the rainy season. In addition, no fertilizer could be used within a certain distance of bays, creeks and other natural water sources.
"In the rainy season, you shouldn't put in these quick-release fertilizers. You just waste your money at the expense of a polluted bay. Fertilizers have to have time to be taken up as they run through the root systems," Thaxton said. "We know we're dumping too many nutrients into bays and estuaries. A major contributor is no doubt fertilizers."
entire article @;
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/2007/02/08/news/local/16648583.htm
Of course the fertilizer corporations dispute this claim, why would they want a slow release fertilizer on the market when the corporations can sell more 'quick release' fertilizer faster to their farmer clients??
Similar happenings in nearby Sarasota County;
"County Commissioner Jon Thaxton is one of the more vocal proponents of tighter restrictions. Thaxton said such regulations are the next logical step since education efforts haven't paid off.
"Frankly, I don't care how much these guys want to bully, I'm not going to give up on the possibility of regulation," Thaxton said.
The county began exploring tighter regulations last fall at the behest of Longboat Key resident Ed Rosenthal, CEO of Florikan ESA, a fertilizer company that specializes in time-release products that are applied every six months.
Rosenthal said it was the 20 tons of dead fish on the beaches near his home last year that spurred him to action. He made the connection between red tide and fertilizer after hearing that Japan cut its red tide by two-thirds by restricting fertilizer use."
read on @;
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060522/NEWS/605220318
The build-up of Microcystis aeruginosa is a direct correlation with water lower flows and obstructions caused by the lower four dams. In addition, removal of the dams would allow for continuous water flows and less suitable habitat for the toxic algae..
This outcome following dam removal is far more favorable than the FEMA proposal of algicide in the reservoir lakes above the lower four dams. The algicide works by splitting or 'lysing' the algal cells and the cystin toxins are released into the reservoir lakes all at once following the algicide 'treatment'..
Residual toxins from the massive algal die-off that are released following algicide's lysing treatment could linger in the reservoir lakes for several months or longer. This build-up of toxins would also be potentially lethal to spawning salmon or migratory juveniles..
In Nebraska's lakes, toxic algae blooms from fertilizer runoff have also caused great problems with water quality, though even here scientists warn about the dangers of using algicide to 'solve' the problem..
"In addition to reducing man’s contribution to the problem, state and university officials are also examining various treatment options. Although there are chemical treatment options that can reduce algae growth, those options are not necessarily practical if a lake is experiencing an algae bloom, Lund said. The chemicals can effectively kill algae, but when the algae dies, it releases the toxins into the water. In other words, treatment has the potential of causing a sudden increase in toxins in a lake, if the treatment takes place when there is already a large algal bloom."
entire article @;
http://www.deq.state.ne.us/Newslett.nsf/pages/Win04-1
We're lucky in CA to have faster flowing rivers than Nebraska that would ordinarily wash the algae away if it wasn't for those darned obstructions of river flow that we call the lower four Klamath dams! Of course many of the lakes in Nebraska are also trapped rivers..
That doesn't mean the fertilizers should be dumped into the river upstream unregulated for water quality, though without the four obstructions to the natural river flow the same fertilizer input would result in less dangerous algae outbreaks and build-up in reservoir lakes..
If i were a farmer in the Klamath Basin (maybe someday i'll try it!), i would not be thrilled to watch all my fertilizer being washed away into the watershed anyway, partially because fertilizer is valuable and should be conserved for the benefits of the soil in addition to protecting the watershed!!
Some farmers in Florida are working together with the community to reduce their runoff quota into the Gulf of Mexico, as fertilizer runoff is the main contribution to the deadly red tide toxic algal outbreaks..
"Slow-release fertilizer cuts down on the amount of fertilizer being used, reducing potentially harmful runoff.
Whitmore, a Solutions to Avoid Red Tide board member for years, stopped short of saying fertilizer leads to red tide. But she said cutting down on fertilizer runoff can only lead to healthier bays and estuaries.
"Less fertilizer means less runoff and pollution in our bays and the environment," she said. "We have to be better stewards with our lands. We should at least start with county properties so we can educate the public and then we can get them to do it. We need to set a good example."
Sarasota County implemented a similar ordinance last year. Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton pushed the initiative before his election in 2000. Sarasota's ordinance requires integrated pest management and a least-toxic approach to treat all county property, except hospital and school grounds.
"We did it as a leadership tool to show people that you can still have great-looking landscaping with these approaches," Thaxton said.
He's also advocating an ordinance that would require most property owners to treat lawns and gardens with slow-release fertilizer during the rainy season. In addition, no fertilizer could be used within a certain distance of bays, creeks and other natural water sources.
"In the rainy season, you shouldn't put in these quick-release fertilizers. You just waste your money at the expense of a polluted bay. Fertilizers have to have time to be taken up as they run through the root systems," Thaxton said. "We know we're dumping too many nutrients into bays and estuaries. A major contributor is no doubt fertilizers."
entire article @;
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/2007/02/08/news/local/16648583.htm
Of course the fertilizer corporations dispute this claim, why would they want a slow release fertilizer on the market when the corporations can sell more 'quick release' fertilizer faster to their farmer clients??
Similar happenings in nearby Sarasota County;
"County Commissioner Jon Thaxton is one of the more vocal proponents of tighter restrictions. Thaxton said such regulations are the next logical step since education efforts haven't paid off.
"Frankly, I don't care how much these guys want to bully, I'm not going to give up on the possibility of regulation," Thaxton said.
The county began exploring tighter regulations last fall at the behest of Longboat Key resident Ed Rosenthal, CEO of Florikan ESA, a fertilizer company that specializes in time-release products that are applied every six months.
Rosenthal said it was the 20 tons of dead fish on the beaches near his home last year that spurred him to action. He made the connection between red tide and fertilizer after hearing that Japan cut its red tide by two-thirds by restricting fertilizer use."
read on @;
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060522/NEWS/605220318
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