Klamath Reclamation Project

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The Klamath Reclamation Project or Klamath Project was developed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation to supply farmers with irrigation water and farmland in the Klamath Basin.

The Klamath Project is a seris of dams and canals built to divert rivers to deliver water to and drain water from outlaying areas. Two main sources supply water for the project: Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River; and Clear Lake Reservoir, Gerber Reservoir, and Lost River. The main bodies of water in the Klamath Project are: Clear Lake Reservoir, Klamath River, Link River, Lost River, Lower Klamath Lake, Tule Lake, and Upper Klamath Lake. The project fills these reserviors from the spring runoff, peak flows generally in March and April, and keeps the runoff from flooding the historical marshes that are a large portion of the present farmland. There are also many minor streams in the area.

Map of Klamath Project

225,000 acres of rangeland have been transformed into active farmland through the Klamath Project. 80,000 acres of this transformed land were under Lower Klamath Lake, a shallow marsh straddling Oregon California Border between the California towns of Dorris and Tulelake. Tule Lake was also reduced in size by diverting water from Lost River to the Klamath River.

Farmers in the project raise barley, alfalfa hay and other hay, oats, potatoes, and wheat.

The Klamath Basin is on the Pacific Flyway and the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges Complex is visited by migratory game birds every year.

1 History
2 Engineering
3 External links

[edit] History

Construction began on the project in 1906 with the building of the main "A" Canal. Water was first made available May 22, 1907. The Clear Lake Dam was completed in 1910, the Lost River Diversion Dam and many of the distribution structures in 1912, and the Anderson-Rose Diversion Dam (formally Lower Lost River Diversion Dam in 1921. The Malone Diversion Dam on Lost River was built in 1923 to divert water to Langell Valley.

A contract executed February 24, 1917, between the California-Oregon Power Company (now the Pacific Power and Light Company) and the United States authorized the company to construct Link River Dam for the benefit of the project and for the company's use, and in particular extended to the water users of the Klamath Project certain preferential power rates. The dam was completed in 1921.

In more recent times, the Klamath Project has been the focus of nationwide controversy. The Lost River and Shortnose suckers were listed as endangered in 1988. This led to a cutoff of irrigation water to local farmers on April 6, 2001. After many protests by farmers and concerned citizens alike, the decision was reversed the next year. Today there is still much antagonism between opposing sides on this issue.

[edit] Engineering

[edit] Dams

The Klamath Project contains seven dams. These vary between simple earthfill structures and concrete structures several hundred feet high. Three of the seven dams are storage dams, retaining water behind them to be used later. These are: the Clear Lake Dam; the Gerber Dam, with Gerber Reservoir; and the Link River Dam, with Upper Klamath Lake as its reservoir.

In addition to the storage dams, there are four diversion dams. The Lost River, Anderson-Rose, and the Malone Diversion Dams are all located on the Lost River. The Miller Diversion Dam is on Miller Creek, 8 miles (13 km) below Gerber Dam.

[edit] Canals

There are over 717 miles (1154 km) of canals, laterals and diversion channels in the Klamath Project. The canals transport irrigation water from Klamath Lake and the Klamath River, Clear Lake and Lost River, and Tule Lake. There are two tunnels--the "A" Canal (the main canal that starts just above the Link River Dam) has an underground section as it flows through Klamath Falls, and the Tule Lake Tunnel.

There are almost 728 miles (1172 km) of drainage canals in the Klamath Project, allowing land that would otherwise be wetlands and swamps to be farmed. The Lower Klamath Lake was 80,000 acres before it was drained and would naturally evaporate about 240,000 acre feet each summer. This roughly equivalant to the annual delivery of the A canal.