The perils of farming in the Klamath Basin grow more complicated

Local irrigators had good reason to be frustrated in their meeting last week with Bureau of Reclamation officials at a time of year when normally they have a pretty good handle on how much water to expect. This year, they don’t.

Citing various uncertainties Bureau officials told a gathering at the Klamath County Fairgrounds that they were still developing the “hydrology” for this year. Among the problems has been the potential impact of uncertain weather, which has recently turned wet and snowy — certainly a gain for water users — and the outcome of legal action involving 50,000 acre feet of water that’s being held in reserve in case it’s needed to flush the Klamath River to help migrating salmon.