Assignment Number and Title
- Battle over water rights for farmers or wild fish in Southern Oregon
- Battle over water right for farmers or wild fish in Southern Oregon is an ecological crisis over water where the farmers were denied water for irrigation during the dry season. The wild fish were in the danger of dying if the water which was their life could be used by farmers. This topic is important as it provides us with the information on the causes of water crisis, how it affected those involved and the possibilities of resolving the crisis. It shows that water is an important resource of which without it the life of living things are in danger. Consequently, the increase in human population has led to water crisis.
- The farmers in the Southern Oregon got their water for irrigation from the Klamath reclamation project which was opened in 1903 and was run by the government department of reclamation. The farmers enjoyed the privileges of financial support from the central government and irrigated large portions of lands. Private irrigators existed in the area and they raised personal claims over the usage of water which was not a big problem by then since water was in plenty for the project. Since, the farmers paid for the irrigation project, they felt that they possessed it. The organizations that oversees water usage in the area made it clear that there was water to meet irrigation needs as demanded by the farmers, but, the government department of reclamation and the national society endorsed with the responsibility of delivering water to farmers’ farms, informed the farmers that there was no water for irrigation in that period. Dry conditions were the major cause of the water crisis that period, however, it was noted that drought was experienced the previous years and water was not a crisis. The population increase demanded water usage for other purposes like leisure which led to its crisis.
- The farmers were denied water for irrigation in favor of the wild fish. However, the government department of reclamation provided a small amount of water to farmers for irrigation. This was late and the farmers got bad harvests that period as they lost a lot due to lack of water.
- The contract farmers took their case in court seeking reimbursement of their losses since their water was taken unjustly. Their earlier agreements were not met by the Klamath reclamation project whereby incase of drought or water shortage, their farms were to be supplied with water on the basis of first come first serve.
- The researches that were carried out showed that the situation was unfortunate and there was no foundation of denying the farmers water for irrigation in favor of wild fish. Therefore, as the demand for water increased, the government department of reclamation denied water supplies to the wildlife agencies in favor of the farmers which led to the deaths of many wild fish. The enormous deaths of wild fish surprised people on both sides of the matter and they raised their concerns on the need to preserve water for wild fish whose life was in danger.
- The Klamath Indian tribes who settled in the Klamath area also began to fight for their water privileges as water crisis worsened. They took their case to court and since they had a signed treaty with Klamath project. They claimed that the water was for customary hounding and fishing and not for irrigation.
- In conclusion, in resolving this situation activities that are of high economic benefits should be given priority to water rights. For instance, instead of using water for irrigation, it should be used for wildlife conservation since they have high economic benefits. The rights to water should be made clear to avoid conflicts when water supplies are low.
- References
Barry, H. (1996). Costs of Constructing Federal Water Projects. Washington, DC: General Accounting Office.
Carlton, J. (2002, November 1). Klamath Findings Weren’t Released. Wall Street Journal , 4.
Hathaway, R. (2001, December). Klamath Water Allocation Background. Water Allocation in the Klamath Basin: An Assessment of Natural Resource, Economic, Social, and Institutional Issues , 14.
