Extended Abstract (244K)12C.7
The Klamath Basin Drought Experience—2001
Phillip A. Pasteris, Global Water Resources, Portland, OR; and J. Lea and R. Vigil
During water year 2001 the Upper Klamath Lake Basin experienced a near record drought. Winter snowpack, the primary source of streamflow, peaked at approximately 55 percent of average in January 2001. By April 1, 2001 the observed snowpack had fallen to below the previously established record minimum of 27 percent of average. Based on the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) April 1st water supply forecast of 31 percent of average streamflow for the April-September period, the Bureau of Reclamation terminated irrigation water to over 75 percent of the irrigated agriculture in the Klamath Basin affecting 170,000 acres (68,800 hectares) of farmland. The Reclamation decision was executed in response to a federal judge interpretation of the biological opinion issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service as part of the Endangered Species Act for the Klamath Basin. The court action was historic, made immediate national headlines and started a process to examine the impacts of increased competition for a finite water supply. This paper examines the conservation practices implemented by the NRCS which mitigated the effects of drought in the Klamath Basin in 2001 and 2002.
Session 12C, Drought: Impacts on Water Supply and Agriculture
Thursday, 31 October 2002, 1:30 PM-3:15 PM
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