Klamath Basin Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Epic Drought Means Water Crisis For Parts Of The West Coast, Though Much Of Northwest Is OK

By NWPB News April 15, 2021

File photo, March 2, 2020: Farmer Ben DuVal with his wife, Erika, and their daughters, Hannah, third from left, and Helena, fourth from left, stand near a canal for collecting run-off water near their property in Tulelake, Calif. Federal officials announced in April 2021 that farmers who rely on a massive irrigation project spanning the Oregon-California border will get 8% of the deliveries they need amid a severe drought. CREDIT: Gillian Flaccus/AP

Hundreds of farmers who rely on a massive irrigation project that spans the Oregon-California border learned Wednesday they will get a tiny fraction of the water they need amid the worst drought in decades, as federal regulators attempt to balance the needs of agriculture against federally threatened and endangered fish species that are central to the heritage of several tribes.Read More

Pumping Oxygen In A Lake To Try To Save Fish Facing Climate Change

By Jes Burns October 15, 2019

Mohammed Bawazeer and Ian Riley carry a battery that will power the aeration system on Upper Klamath Lake for 32 hours, even if the sun isn't shining.

As the climate warms, many U.S. lakes are seeing more algal blooms, low oxygen levels and stressed out fish species. One team in Oregon hopes that pumping oxygen into the water can help.Read More

Northwest Drought: Washington Looks Good, But Another Low Snow Year Will Test Oregon

By Jes Burns March 9, 2018

Jackson County Watermaster Shavon Haynes prepares to weigh a snow core sample in Southern Oregon. CREDIT: JES BURNS/EARTHFIX/OPB

Most of Washington has had above average snow this winter, but the situation gets more dicey the farther south you travel. About half of Oregon is experiencing moderate drought already, and it looks like the Klamath Basin is once again going to be a focal point of water conflict in the West.Read More