With record low inflows, water can’t be released without risking extinction for the struggling fish.Ĥ. Why is water being cut off to farmers? Under the Endangered Species Act, the water in Upper Klamath Lake must be maintained at a certain minimal level to protect endangered fish species that live in the lake. So-called “flushing” flows of water typically released down the Klamath River to ward off bacterial infections that are killing juvenile salmon were also cancelled.ģ. The US Drought Monitor lists the region in the two most intense categories of drought: “extreme” and “exceptional.” In May, low water flowing into Upper Klamath Lake prompted water managers with the federal Bureau of Reclamation to cut off water to irrigated farmland almost completely. How bad is the drought in the Klamath Basin this year? Pretty bad. More than 1,200 family farms lean heavily on water from the Klamath Project, a federally-operated system of dams, canals and reservoirs that collect and store water along the border of Oregon and California.Ģ. Why is this such a big issue in the Klamath Basin? The Klamath Basin is a largely agricultural region. There’s a drought all over the West right now.