Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Klamath Tribes and feds exercise water rights in Oregon, will shut off irrigation for ranches

CP23750928
FILE - This May 7, 2013 file photo shows Klamath Falls, Ore., top, on the far side of Upper Klamath Lake. Tens of thousands of acres in Oregon\'s drought-stricken Klamath Basin will have to go without irrigation water this summer after the Klamath Tribes and the federal government exercised for the first time newly confirmed powers that put the American Indian tribes in the driver\'s seat over the use of water. (AP Photo/The Herald and News, Steven Silton)

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Tens of thousands of acres in Oregon’s drought-stricken Klamath Basin will have to go without irrigation water this summer after the Klamath Tribes and the federal government exercised for the first time newly confirmed powers that put the American Indian tribes in the driver’s seat over the use of water.

Klamath Tribes Chairman Don Gentry and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor said Monday they were making what is known as a “call” on their water rights for rivers flowing into Upper Klamath Lake in Southern Oregon.

The new powers were made possible by a March ruling of an administrative law judge confirming the tribes have the oldest water rights in the upper basin, and therefore first say over controlling it. The bureau’s rights date to 1905.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles