The Klamath River is a vast flow of water that stretches 263 miles through Oregon and northern California. This river is undoubtedly scenic and provides habitat to an array of wildlife. Besides its extensive benefit to nature, it is arguably the most important resource to the people that live along, and away from it.
The reason the impact of the Klamath river is so critical is because of its use for agriculture, more importantly irrigation. Irrigation from the river has been drawn from these rivers since the late 19th century; providing water for generations of farmers, and ranchers. The Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath Project was established in 1905 to delegate the rights and uses for the Klamath river basin. The Project granted water for farming, and today it provides irrigation to around 200,000 acres of farmland, and National wildlife refuges in both Oregon and California.
The reason that the Klamath river is causes such conflict is because of how important the water is to the area. The Klamath River provides the most important resource to the area. The Klamath basin is one of the poorest areas of the state, and without the water, the economy would be decimated. The river provides water for so much irrigation that it plays a significant role in how the area thrives, and cutting this access to water would cause extreme backlash on the economy, and the people’s way of life who rely on the river. The reason that agriculture is so dependent on irrigation from the Klamath is because of its geographic location. Irrigation has turned an arid basin into a green oasis, and by reclaiming thousands of acres it has boosted the economy in ways that would be decimated if irrigation was stopped. Farmer’s crops and wild stock rely on this irrigation, and without it the entire agricultural world would greatly suffer. Besides crops not surviving, land value would also plummet to nearly a fraction of what it’s worth.
There are definite risks and cons to delegating so much of this resource to agriculture, that have both ethical, and sustainable issues. However, it is necessary to find a balance of the uses of the Klamath river that grants access to all patrons, and allows for the river ecosystem to thrive.
References:
https://www3.epa.gov/region9/water/watershed/klamath.html
http://www.oregon.gov/owrd/adj/docs/klamath_summary99.pdf
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article2584703.html