DOCUMENT:

• “Draft Cease and Desist Order,” from the California State Water Resources Control Board to the Shasta River Water Association.

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Press release from the Karuk and Yurok Tribes:

Map of the district. Click to enlarge.

Days after a fire induced mudslide killed all fish in a 60-mile reach of the Klamath River, ranchers defied state law by diverting flows from the Shasta River, one of the most important Klamath tributaries for imperiled salmon.

“The Shasta River Water Association is illegally dewatering one of the most important salmon nurseries in California,” according to Karuk Chairman Russell ‘Buster’ Attebery. “After last week’s fish kill, every juvenile salmon in the Klamath basin must be protected to ensure future runs. We are horrified, we are angry, and we expect accountability.”

The diversion led to a 37% decrease in Shasta River flows, from 58 cubic feet per second to 36 in about 2 hours on August 17.  Rapid drops in flow strand fish along the banks leading to mortality.

Since August of 2021, water users in Siskiyou County’s Shasta and Scott River Valleys have been subject to a curtailment order (Order). The State Water Board developed the Order after Governor Newsom declared a drought emergency in the Spring 2021.

The Order is an attempt to maintain bare minimum flows in two of the Klamath’s most productive tributaries for Chinook salmon,” explains Karuk senior fisheries biologist Toz Soto. “These flows reflect the best available science and are the minimum amount of water the fish need to survive in drought years.”

Salmon spend 3-5 years of their lives as adults in the Pacific Ocean. Adults return to the freshwater streams they were born in to mate and lay eggs. Juveniles hatch in the Spring but normally spend a year in the river to grow large enough and strong enough to make the swim out to the ocean, repeating the cycle. The Shasta River is unique in its abundance of cold springs that flow year-round, making it an outstanding place for juvenile salmon to rear. Unfortunately, most of this cold clean water is being diverted to flood irrigate pasture.

“We demand and deserve an equitable and fair approach to sharing water,” said Frankie Myers, the Yurok Tribe’s Vice Chairman. “For too long ranchers have done what they please with no concern for those of us living downstream. It is time we manage the Klamath basin together as a whole.”

The Tribes are evaluating all options for holding those engaged in illegal diversions accountable.

On August 18th, 2022 the State Water Board issued a letter to the Shasta River Water Association “…the SRWA’s water right is curtailed under the drought emergency regulation and SRWA should not be diverting water from the Shasta River watershed.”

“The State Water Board needs to act immediately to hold these illegal diverters accountable. We know the drought is tough on the agricultural community, but once these fish are gone, they are gone forever,” concludes Myers.