Klamath Dams Money in Bond Measure
By John Driscoll, Eureka Times-Standard
March 14, 2006

Tucked into the folds of the gigantic state infrastructure bond lawmakers were grappling with into the evening Monday is money aimed at buying and removing dams on the Klamath River.

It is the first sign that money would be available from the state to grease the skids in negotiations between the dam owner and the fleet of sometimes conflicting parties that have a stake in using the river or restoring its debilitated fish runs. Tribes, environmental groups, fishermen, farmers and agencies have been meeting every two weeks to hash out a settlement that could involve decommissioning Pacificorp's dams and removing barriers to salmon spawning grounds cut off for decades.

The language was in both the California Assembly and Senate versions of the bond act, a titanic $50 billion bundle for roads, schools, sewers -- and to build other dams. That last item has been hotly debated between Democrats and the Republicans who wanted money for groundwater storage and dam repair.

The Klamath provision is an unspecified amount of money in a $700 million article that includes money to restore the San Joaquin River, the Sacramento River delta and Lake Tahoe.

”The intention is for the money to be available for taking down Klamath dams and restoring the health of the river,” said state Sen. Wesley Chesbro, the Arcata Democrat who chairs the Senate Budget Committee.

On Monday afternoon, while the Legislature slogged through disputes, Chesbro told the Times-Standard that there is still hope that the bond would make the June ballot if an agreement is reached soon. He also cautioned that the longer the measure is debated, the more difficult a pact would be to approve -- which could jeopardize the Klamath funding.

Dave Kvamme with Pacificorp said that there are many natural resource issues that could benefit from public funding.

”We believe that there are a range of possible solutions,” Kvamme said, “but they must be practical. ”

Since 2001, the Klamath River has been a poster child of conflict and poor environmental health. That year, there was an uproar when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation cut off water to some farms in the upper basin. The next year, the policy was reversed, and up to 68,000 fish died in a warm, shallow river. Diseases have been killing young fish and reservoirs have seen spikes in toxic algae. Fish runs have been small the past three years, and this year federal fisheries managers may close all salmon fishing from northern Oregon to Big Sur.

”Given the fishing seasons we've faced this year and last year ... it may be a recognition of Klamath River basin fish populations from a wide variety of folks,” said Yurok Tribe Senior Biologist Dave Hillemeier. “It isn't going to be cheap to do all that we need to do.”

Steve Rothert with the group American Rivers, a player in the settlement talks, hopes the money will energize negotiations, but declined to offer details because of a confidentiality agreement.

”I think that it's a very encouraging sign because it indicates the state of California recognizes the importance of a healthy Klamath fishery,” Rothert said.

Others saw a difficult choice. Tim McKay with the Northcoast Environmental Center said it would be difficult for environmental groups to support a bond measure that calls for Klamath River solutions on the one hand if it also allows building dams or water projects on the other. But he said it's encouraging to see the language in the bond.

”There's a lot of pieces, obviously,” McKay said.