Stick game — Is the Klamath River headed for disaster, again?
Parker, on the other hand, blames the high water temperature on the low flows, as water is diverted from the river to the farmers upstream. But Simondet preferred not to point fingers. “You need to take a look at the whole basin. You need to have a basin-wide perspective,” he said. “Everyone is looking for the silver bullet.”
Simondet said that this year is no different from other dry years. In fact, he added, “The flows out of Iron Gate dam are proportionately higher than the average flow for this time of year.” They are a little over 1,000 cubic feet per second versus a mean flow of 760 cubic feet per second.
And as for whether or not another fish kill is imminent, Simondet pointed out that the flows are much higher now than they were around the same time in 2002. Still, he admitted, “We do have poor water quality conditions.”
As Keith Parker navigated his motorboat upriver, he pointed out a massive, old bridge that was knocked down in the ’64 flood. The law of this river, it seems, is feast or famine. Either, there isn’t enough water, or there’s too much. It’s all a big gamble.
As for which hand is holding the stick with the black ring around it — the one that will win the basin farmers their much-needed water and the Yurok fishermen their precious salmon — there may be no strategy for finding that out. But for Yurok tribesmen like Keith Parker, there is reason to believe that the river is giving us signs that cannot be ignored.
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