Final Klamath Basin agreement released

Settlement deal still faces strong opposition from tribal interests, conservationists and must be ratified by settlement stakeholders.

Background

For nearly a decade, the Klamath Basin has been synonymous with hostile disputes in the West over water and fish.

But in recent years, a group of diverse interests in the area spanning southern Oregon and northern California has been building a plan to balance the needs of farms, salmon and the communities that depend on them.

What's new

On Friday, the 54 organizations involved in the negotiations released the final draft of that plan, called the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.

"For the first time in the basin, essentially mortal enemies have overcome deep, deep divisions to forge a common vision," said Steve Rothert, California director for American Rivers.

The 396-page document aims to provide water to farms and ranches in and near a 200,000-acre federal irrigation project while ensuring flows for protected fish.

The deal also includes a twin agreement to remove four private power-producing dams on the Klamath River to restore salmon runs, and it reflects the Obama administration's entrance into the long-running talks.

Critics of the deal say it doesn't do enough to protect federal bird refuges on the basin, large parts of which are still leased for farming, and it doesn't guarantee enough water will be left in the river during drought years to protect fish.

"It's unfortunate that the folks who are supporting this deal are willing to trade away the wildlife habitat and water for salmon for the prospect of dam removal," said Sean Stevens of the group Oregon Wild.

What's next

The negotiators --including tribes, environmentalists, farmers and government agencies --hope to hold a signing ceremony by mid-February.

But before any of the plan can go forward, Congress must agree to spend about half a billion dollars in additional money to fund the various aspects of the deal.

"In many ways, completing the negotiation marks a beginning, not an end," said Petey Brucker of the Salmon River Restoration Council. "Still, we are closer than we have ever been to solving the Klamath crisis."