Thursday Top of the Scroll: Biden administration announces truce in Klamath Basin water wars
The Biden administration announced Wednesday it has brokered a “historic” agreement between tribes and farmers in the Klamath Basin over chronic water shortages, a problem that has fueled enduring water wars in the rural area along the California-Oregon border. … The agreement is technically a memorandum of understanding between the three tribes, the Klamath Water Users Association and the Interior Department. It does not lay out a new plan for how water supplies will be allocated, which is the underlying source of tension in the region. Instead, the deal calls for a wide range of river and creek restoration work as well as the modernization of agricultural infrastructure. It comes with $72 million of federal funding.
Related articles:
- E&E News: Farmers, tribes reach ‘historic’ Klamath River deal
- Herald and News: Klamath Basin water stakeholders, Department of the Interior reach landmark agreement
- Oregon Public Radio: Klamath Basin irrigators, tribes sign conservation agreement, Interior pledges $72M
- Eureka Times-Standard: $72 million headed to Klamath River restoration, agriculture infrastructure