Opinion ID: 3034358
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Klamath River Basin and the Klamath Project

Text: The Klamath River basin straddles northern California and southern Oregon. At the center of this case is a fish population that is unique to the region, the SONCC coho salmon. The SONCC coho spawns and matures in the main stem and tributaries of the Klamath River. 14300 PACIFIC COAST v. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION The Klamath River basin supports a variety of agricultural activities that are possible in part because of irrigation water from the Klamath Project, a federally funded irrigation system established in the early 20th century. The Klamath Project consists of a number of dams and reservoirs. The coho salmon population populates the main stem and tributaries of the Klamath River until its passage is blocked by the Iron Gate Dam, which is the component of the Klamath Project closest to the Pacific Ocean. The flows past the Iron Gate dam into the Klamath River determine to a great extent the quantity of water available in the river. At issue in this appeal are the NMFS’s determinations regarding the quantity of water that the BOR must release from behind the Iron Gate Dam to the Klamath River. A number of factors make water management especially difficult in the Klamath River Basin. See generally Pac. Coast Fed’n of Fisherman’s Ass’ns v. BOR, 138 F.Supp. 2d 1228, 1230-31 (N.D. Cal. 2001) (“PCFFA I”); Kandra v. United States, 145 F.Supp. 2d 1192, 1196-98 (D. Or. 2001). The primary reservoir is relatively shallow, and is home to populations of two different species of endangered fish, known as suckers, that require maintenance of certain minimum water levels. Kandra, 145 F.Supp 2d at 1196-98. Marshlands in two national wildlife refuges are irrigated by the Klamath Project to create bird habitat. Id. at 1196. Several tribes in the area have treaty rights to Klamath River fish, and the Department of Interior must meet the United States’ fiduciary duty to maintain these resources. Id. at 1197. Numerous farmers have contracts for irrigation water that the BOR must supply each growing season. PCFFA I, 138 F.Supp. 2d at 1231. The Klamath Basin has been the focus of previous cases dealing with endangered species conservation and water use and management.2 2 See, e.g., Bennett v. Spear, 520 U.S. 154 (1997) (regarding endangered suckers; holding related to standing); Klamath Water Users Protective PACIFIC COAST v. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION 14301