Merkley, Wyden Announce $50 Million to Support Drought Resilience in the Klamath Basin

Merkley, Wyden Announce $50 Million to Support Drought Resilience in the Klamath Basin

Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that a $50 million federal investment from the Inflation Reduction Act is headed to the Klamath Basin to largely fund a new agreement that supports irrigators facing prolonged drought conditions.

The programs receiving funding today will support the region's farmers and ranchers under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA), as well as the Klamath Project Drought Response Agency (KPDRA)-which was created by Merkley. The agreement cements a shared commitment between the groups to work together to improve water supply and reliability for the Klamath Project.

"Long-term drought has severe impacts on all communities who call the Klamath Basin home as it harms everything from ecosystems to the economy and everyday life," Merkley said. "Continued direct federal investments like this to support drought resiliency efforts and strengthen water supply and reliability in the Basin are essential to make the unique region's water go farther for families, farmers, ranchers, Tribes, fish, and vital ecosystems."

"Combating drought in the Klamath Basin demands action matched with significant federal investment to provide real assistance to the Oregonians living and working there," Wyden said. "This $50 million investment from legislation I worked to pass means robust help now for the Basin's water users, and I'll keep battling for all possible additional funds that continue to support their short-term recovery and long-term resilience."

Of the $50 million investment announced today from the Bureau of Reclamation, $43 million will directly go toward drought response efforts by the KWUA, KPDRA, and Reclamation:

1. $25 million for multi-year demand management and modified practices programs, which include:

1. $10 million for permanent demand reduction programs to voluntarily retire irrigation water use. Reclamation will give preference to areas not in commercial production, like turf replacement on football and soccer fields.
2. $8 million for wildlife benefit programs. These will follow the arrangement as KPDRA's contracts with Reclamation in 2018 and 2020, where the KPDRA receives per-acre-foot payment based on approved arrangements by which districts provide water for fish and wildlife uses.

Additionally, Reclamation will use $7 million to benefit fish species by planning and implementing projects at Keno and Link River Dams.

"This funding will be of great benefit to agricultural communities and the environment," said KWUA Executive Director Paul Simmons. "We thank Commissioner Touton and her team for wrapping up this effort and providing tools as we continue our work toward a more stable future. We are also grateful for the support that Senators Merkley and Wyden communicated to the Administration."

Merkley and Wyden have long been champions for all Klamath Basin communities. While serving as Chairman of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Merkley secured a historic $162 million over five years through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law specifically dedicated to restoring ecosystems and enhancing drought resiliency in the Basin. Merkley and Wyden announced several major investments last year alone, including $46 million to boost ecosystem restoration and enhance water quality and reliability. They also announced $72 million in new federal funding for critical ecosystem restoration projects and agricultural infrastructure modernization, alongside a historic MOU between KWUA and the Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, and Karuk Tribe to collaboratively drive long-term solutions to water challenges in the Klamath Basin.

In the final days of 2024, Merkley and Wyden celebrated the passage of the bipartisan Klamath Basin Water Agreement Support Act, which was signed into law to further support farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin with improved tools to respond to severe drought, while restoring fish and wildlife habitat in the region.

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