New A Canal Headgates Open in the Klamath Basin on Schedule

Klamath Herald News | April 1, 2003 | DYLAN DARLING

[Jeff Head]

Water flows through one of the six new headgates on the A Canal this morning. Contractors opened the headgates today to begin priming the system, meeting a deadline set by the Bureau of Reclamation in order to allow irrigation to begin on schedule in the Klamath Project.

Headgates open on schedule

published April 1, 2003

By DYLAN DARLING


Water began pouring through a new set of headgates on the A Canal today, marking a milestone in a complex construction project and the beginning of an uncertain irrigation season.

Also entering service today is a high-tech fish screen to keep endangered suckers and other fish from being diverted into the series of canals that feeds the Klamath Reclamation Project.

The headgates were cracked open by a worker for Slayden Construction of Stayton, the general contractor for the project.

With the push of a button on a computer keyboard, the headgates opened on the day the Bureau set as a deadline for completion of the new headgates.

"They have been busy until the last minute, but it is up and ready to go this morning," said Jim Bryant, operations manager for the Bureau's Klamath Basin Area Office.

On hand to watch the opening of the headgates was a group of reporters, Bureau officials and contractors, who gathered to see the first flow of the summer. The old headgates, built in 1907 and demolished last October, had been the site of protests of the Bureau's cutting the supply of irrigation water in 2001.

The opening of the headgates comes as the Bureau is expected to announce within a few days how much water will be available for irrigation and protection of threatened and endangered fish.

In recent weeks, Slayden Construction has been testing the headgate system, including the fish screens and trash rack, while also teaming with the Bureau in training staff from the Klamath Irrigation District on how to operate them. Brushes will automatically cover the screens each day to keep them clear of debris.

Bryant said the contractors will continue to run the system until mid-summer, when it will let the irrigation district take over the controls.

"It's a very complex system and the district has made their people available for training while we have the experts here," Bryant said.

David Solem, manager of the Klamath Irrigation District, said that functionally the headgates are the same as the old ones, but there are a lot more things to learn.

"There's a lot more things going on here than before," he said.

The new headgates, with all of its computers, automated rakes and fish pumps, had a price tag of about $15 million dollars.

About 70 cubic feet of water per second squirted through the headgates today as the system will be first primed before more flow is slowly added in the coming weeks, said Dave Sabo, manager of the Bureau's Klamath Area Office.

"You want to gradually fill up the system," Sabo said. When full, the canal flows at about 1,000 cfs.

Although the headgates are ready and water is flowing, construction will continue for several months at the site. Work should be finished next October, with the last piece being a secondary bypass pipe that will lead screened fish to below the Link River Dam if needed.

Dan Keppen, executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association, said it was a tremendous feat for the contractors and the Bureau to complete such a major project in six months.

"Can you imagine if they didn't get that done in time and we didn't have water for two weeks?" he said. "I salute those guys."

The Bureau will host a tour of the headgates and fish screen Sunday at 2 p.m. To reserve a spot in the tour call (800) 742-9474, and then press 2 and 8.

So far, 70 people have asked to be in the tour.

Reporter Dylan Darling covers natural resources. He can be reached at 885-4471, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at ddarling@heraldandnews.com.

[Jeff Head]

Thanks, so do I ... praying for that very thing.

[Jeff Head]

May are hanging tough ... but it is an uncertain time. They know that until they own and control the project, they are subject to a complete or partial cut off anytime by the government, something they never would have imagined prior to 2001.

Sadly, some have chosen to sell out because of that uncertainty. Most are trying to sell to other individuals willing to take the risk to come in and farm, or to existing farmers in the area.

Best Fregards.

[norton]

A day for good news,
congratulations to all who made the stand in '01.

[Joe Brower]

Great news! Don't drop your guard for a second, though -- I'm certain I don't have to remind you of that.

[amom]

Humm you mentioned "...until they own and control the project..." and I have to wonder...will the farmers now be billed for this project and have to pay once again before they can own and control it? Any idea?

[IVote2]

This is great news. These farmers didn't deserve what the federal government inflicted on them. If the Clinton administration had really cared, they could have devised this soluton before they inflicted devastation on the landowners. But of course, that was not the point was it?

Vigilance is required, Hillary wants to be President, they are still in danger. Thanks for all you did to make others aware.

Jen

[Alamo-Girl]

Indeed! Bumping for the good news!

[Jeff Head]

Guard up ... but happy the water is flowing.

Thankful to a bunch of couragous people there in Klamath and to God in Heaven for it ... not to the government.

[Jeff Head]

I have thought and said the same thing. There is no doubt that the government will add the 15 million dollar tab for these new headgates to what they say the farmers owe ... even though the farmers paid off the original construction cost (which was the basis for their deal with the government) decades ago.

[Jeff Head]

The Judge that made the ruling was a Clinton appointee. Other than that, all of this happened under the Bush administration, even though they had to weed through Clinton era appointees.

President Bush and Gale Norton came around ... and may have had their hearts in the right place to begin with. But the intial decisions by the administration on implementing the liberal Judge's ruling, which created the duress and the crisis were purely political. It wans't until a relative few farmers and their supporters risked everything that things turned around.

Clearly, if had been Clinton, they wouldn't have turned around at all and there would have been a very nasty, probably violent result. I am thankful to this admin, that in the end, it didn't come to that ... but mostly thanksful to those couragous farmers and God in Heaven.

I pray now that the Bush administration will stick to their guns and keep the water flowing without political wrangling ... that they will just do what is right.

[Jeff Head]

Thank you. and a big BUMP back!

[Jeff Head]

Made my day too! Now just hoping and praying it holds.

[Alamo-Girl]

In such a news rich environment, a great story like this might be missed, so here's another bump!

[Eastbound]

"This remains a concerted effort by those NGO's, environazis and UN adherants to move those good people off the land, abetted by some in the tribes and others downstream who have been taken in by their tomfoolery. Just as the useful idiot anti-war protestors have been taken in by the designs of the marxist crowd of anti-Americans driving that agenda"

Good analogy. Throw in the bird-watchers who traipse through the boonies and happen to stumble over a crushed minnow floating in a cow footprint at the edge of a shallow creek. That'll cause the enviro-nazis to join arms and disallow access for the next 100 years. And if they can't find a minnow, they'll just happen to have one stuffed in their diaper.

[tubebender]

Ping...

[amom]

Thanks. I guess time will tell.

My best to you and yours, Jeff. My how they do grow.

[editor-surveyor]

" had we not done what we did, there would be no water to there to this day."

No doubt about it.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!

[Jeff Head]

Thank you ... and ours to you and yours.

God bless ... and God speed the Right.

[hattend]

BTTT