News Release Archive

Klamath Project 2013 Operations Plan Released

Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero@usbr.gov

For Release: June 06, 2013

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The Bureau of Reclamation announced today the release of the 2013 Operations Plan for the Klamath Project. The plan is based upon the expected hydrologic conditions from the June 1 Natural Resource Conservation Service inflow forecast and current reservoir elevations.

The Operations Plan provides an estimate of the available water supply for the Project, the volume of water to be released to the Klamath River for coho salmon, and the water supply to be reserved in Upper Klamath Lake for Lost River and shortnose suckers as consistent with the 2013 Biological Opinion on Klamath Project Operations. The Operations Plan is used by agricultural water users, Klamath Basin Tribes, national wildlife refuge managers and others as a planning tool.

During the 2013 Water Year, the Upper Klamath Basin has been drier than normal, having received 54 percent of average precipitation since October 2012. With higher than average temperatures since February and below average precipitation, snowpack in the Basin peaked at 68 percent of normal in early March.

As of June 1, UKL had an elevation of 4,142.01 feet, resulting in approximately 408,355 acre-feet of storage. The NRCS June 1 forecast for inflows to UKL was 83,000 acre-feet, about 46 percent of average. Under these conditions, the Project irrigation supply from UKL for the 2013 irrigation season is expected to be 289,125 acre-feet.

Based on current lake levels and forecasted inflows for Clear Lake and Gerber Reservoirs, the anticipated water supplies available for the 2013 irrigation season are 12,327 acre-feet and 43,000 acre-feet, respectively.

Demand reduction measures by means of the Water Users Mitigation Program are currently being administered by the Klamath Water and Power Agency to reduce Project demand with the intent to eliminate or minimize involuntary water shortages for Project irrigators.

The Klamath Project 2013 Operations Plan may be viewed at www.usbr.gov/mp/kbao. If you encounter problems accessing the document online, please call 916-978-5100 or email mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov. For more information, please contact Ryan Madsen at 541-883-6935 or rdmadsen@usbr.gov.

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Relevant Link:

Klamath Basin Project 2013 Operations