Klamath Falls News - Locally owned news brand, reporting stories affecting citizens of the Klamath Basin.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - Last week, Steen Sports Park was notified that a generous transfer of water from Wilsonart International was finalized. After years of struggle to keep the park’s grass from dying and the playing surfaces playable, the park is finally going to see a sufficient amount of water to meet the demands of the playing fields.
Read MoreKLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - Today, the United States Bureau of Reclamation said that irrigation districts that provide water to family farms and national wildlife refuges should immediately cease all diversion of water from Upper Klamath Lake, the major water storage reservoir for the Klamath Project.
Read MoreKLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The day after our country celebrated its independence, and just three days after water in KDD’s North Canal was used to fight a wildfire in a nearby Midland neighborhood, the United States Department of Justice, on behalf of the Bureau of Reclamation, filed a complaint against the district alleging there is no “Project Supply” available for the district and further alleging the district is making “unauthorized diversions” in breach of its contract.”
Read MoreKLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - On Thursday evening [4/15/21], the Klamath Drainage District (KDD) began deliveries of water after its Board of Supervisors voted to operate under its state permit. KDD acquired the permit from the Oregon Water Resources Department in 1977 for the use of live flow from the Klamath River for year-round irrigation like all other private irrigators on the river currently diverting.
Read MoreKLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Effective immediately, the gates to Steen Sports Park will be closed until further notice. In response to Governor Brown’s Executive Order No. 20-12 issued earlier today, Steen Sports Park and all facilities associated with the Park, will be closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
Read MoreKLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - Effective immediately, all indoor facilities at Steen Sports Park including Mike’s Fieldhouse and the batting cages will be closed to the public. Stemming from Governor Brown’s ban on the gathering of groups larger than 25 people, the Board of Directors for Steen Sporks Park and Basin United Soccer Club made the tough decision to close the doors to the indoor facilities until further notice.
Read MoreOn September 4th, Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge began receiving 50 cubic feet per second (cfs) of Klamath Project Supply through Ady Canal, operated by Klamath Drainage District. This delivery, on top of water already being provided, comes at a critical time for fall waterfowl migration, and has become available through extensive coordination and efforts by Klamath Project irrigators.
Read MoreKlamath Water Users Association Executive Director Scott White has notified the KWUA Board of Directors of his decision to resign from the position. Scott has performed in the job since February 2016 and guided the organization through difficult times.
Read MoreKLAMATH FALLS, OR – Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley on Friday hosted a science summit, the Sucker Recovery Summit, to share updates on the health of the species and to discuss possible short-term options to help the Lost River (C'waam) and shortnose (Koptu) suckers survive until long-term solutions take effect.
Read MoreKlamath Falls, OR – Today [10/10/18], the United States Senate voted 99-1 to pass the America’s Water and Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA), which includes provisions that are vital to Klamath Project water users. The bill (S. 3021) passed in the House of Representatives by unanimous vote on September 13th and now will be sent to the President for his signature.
Read MoreOn Thursday, September 27, 2018, the Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) held their 11th Annual Fall Harvest Tour that included stops at; Gone Fishing, Klamath Project FF pumping station, Skyline Brewing, a horseradish field & processing shed, a mint harvest and Wong’s Potatoes.
Read MoreWashington, DC – Last Thursday, the United States House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass America’s Water and Infrastructure Act (AWIA) which included provisions that are vital to Klamath Project water users.
Read MoreKlamath Falls, OR - Klamath Water Users Association has told the federal District Court in San Francisco that the lawsuit filed by the Klamath Tribes seeking higher Upper Klamath Lake levels must be dismissed. In a motion filed on June 6, KWUA and Sunnyside Irrigation District and Ben DuVal, who have intervened, say that the San Francisco Court is not a proper venue under the law.
Read MoreKlamath Water Users Association, Executive Director, Scott White is the guest on Season 1, Episode 2 of Ask Klamath presented by Excel Auto Body.
Read MoreThis live video was taken moments after US District Court Judge William Orrick, Northern District of California had adjourned the water hearing in San Francisco on April 11, 2018.
Read MoreYesterday, [3/7/18] Water Users in the Klamath Project have asked a federal court in San Francisco to modify an injunction issued last year. The injunction, issued in cases brought by the Hoopa Valley and Yurok Tribes and environmental groups is in effect until federal agencies complete a new Endangered Species Act “consultation” process, which is not expected until after the 2019 irrigation season.
The motion, filed jointly by Klamath Water Users Association, Sunnyside Irrigation District, Klamath Irrigation District, Klamath Drainage District, and Tulelake farmer Ben Duval, who intervened in the cases, says the injunction was not necessary at all, but at very least should not apply in 2018. The water users filed the motion to avoid unnecessary harm to irrigators in what is already expected to be a water-short year.
Read MoreWestern Water Law challenged in the process
Klamath Falls, OR – After fifteen years of litigation, culminating in a lengthy trial last January that brought over 25 Klamath Project water users to Washington, DC, the United Stated Court of Federal Claims judge hearing the “Takings Case” ruled in favor of the United States. The water users sought just compensation for taking of their water rights in 2001 when the United States reallocated irrigation water to threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Judge Marian Blank Horn’s 75 page opinion, which was filed on September 29, concluded that, “The government’s actions in 2001, did not, therefore, constitute a taking of these plaintiffs’ property under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution or effect an impairment of their rights under the Klamath Compact.”
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![Steen Sports Park, Basin United Soccer Club, and Mike's Fieldhouse close doors [UPDATED]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59b9f24c64b05fd6531db026/1584457179764-N8CZJTF07NWUR8Z6S30F/mikes.jpg)
![Merkley Hosts Science Summit to Identify Solutions for Suckers [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59b9f24c64b05fd6531db026/1542519732549-13MCK060XKQIBEZEV1TX/DSC_0464.jpg)
![Scott White Recaps the Water Hearing [LIVE]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59b9f24c64b05fd6531db026/1523573827162-ZGKCCEGR5PKPPT0AL4Z0/thumb.jpg)
