Press Release: December 2001:
OSU WATER REPORT-
FOR RELEASE: CONTACT:
Dec. 19, 2001 Bud Ullman, Tribes Water Resource Attorney, 541-783-3081
Allen Foreman, Tribal Chairman, 541-783-2219
Doug Barber, The Ulum Group, 541-434-7023
OSU Report on Klamath Basin shortchanges impacts on Tribes
Chiloquin, Oregon- The Klamath Tribes are concerned that important points in the Oregon State University report -Water Allocation in the Klamath Basin- may be lost in the document's overwhelming concern for irrigated agriculture.
"There are nuggets of truth sprinkled throughout the report," says Allen Foreman, Tribal Chairman for the Klamath Tribes. "The report makes it clear that the 2001 BiOp was right to leave water in Upper Klamath Lake to protect endangered fish; the report acknowledges the damage done to tribal resources and the Tribes senior water rights in the Basin; and the report suggests significant changes in water policy that could sustain the long-term economic and ecological health of the Basin. But those fundamental facts may be lost in a 300-page document devoted primarily to agriculture."
"There are two critical factors underlying the Klamath crisis," says Bud Ullman, water resources attorney for the Klamath Tribes. "First, the overcommitment of water by the state and federal governments and, second, the ecosystem damage that compromises the Basin's ability to support all the people who rely on its water resources. Until these are addressed,the problems will continue."
The Tribes have paid a huge price because of inadequate water mangement over the years, and Tribal fisheries have been decimated even though they are protected by the Treaty of 1864 and the most senior water rights in the Basin. "What the community needs from its academic institutions is more information on how to keep agriculture in the Basin sustainable while accommodating other legitimate water interests," says Ullman. "The report's chapter on this subject is treated as an afterthought when it should be the focus of the work."
THE KLAMATH TRIBAL COUNCIL
P.O. Box 436
Chiloquin, OR 97624
Fax: (541) 783-3706
1-800-524-9787 or (541) 783-2219