Disclaimer of Liability

The data presented by and available through this web site consists of information from a variety of private, local, state, and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations, which is integrated into a single web location (i.e., portal) for the Klamath Basin, southern Oregon and northern California. This website is provided as a public service by Klamath County, Oregon, as a cooperative effort with these private, local, state, and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations (the "Participants"). Neither the Participants nor any other entity providing access to information through this web site, nor any of the Participant's employees, Consultants or Subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, including the fitness of the information for a particular purpose, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, usefulness of any information, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. The user of this application assumes all responsibility and risk for the use of the information for any decision made as a result of this information, available from this server and the Internet in general. The user alone is responsible for the application and interpretation of this information and is responsible for use consistent with an appropriate level of caution.

Demonstration Project

This is a DEMONSTRATION application initiated by Klamath County, Oregon, with the express purpose of applying and evaluating new and emerging technologies in an effort to share information pertaining to water supply, natural resource and social and economic issues associated with water and resources management in the Klamath Basin. The vision is a common base of information to guide discussion, debate and resolution of the complex economic, social, and resource management issues within the Basin. The development of this demonstration application is guided by a formal document which identifies various future tools and applications. Those interested in participating may contact the Klamath County Public Works Department (lhickey @ co.klamath.or.us).

Acknowledgement

The user formally acknowledges that this is a DEMONSTRATION application and acknowledges and accepts the Disclaimer of Liability upon entering or using components of this application.


Klamath Basin DSS

Grant Application Executive Summary


The magnitude of fiscal resources expended, number of scientific studies completed, variety and amount of data collected, and public interest and social conflict within the Klamath Basin, (Oregon and California, USA) is a testament to its standing as one of the more complex watersheds in the United States. During the last decade and certainly since 2001 when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) temporarily ceased water delivery to the agricultural production community because of the presence of federally endangered species, the people and agencies managing resources within the Klamath Basin have experienced numerous challenges. These challenges result from the multiple and sometimes conflicting use of water and need for a reliable water supply.


Agricultural production, recreation, tribal trust, endangered species, power generation, and domestic uses all are dependent upon the water resources of the Klamath Basin. Daily decisions related to the management of the Basin’s resources rely upon the use of climate data, water data and water supply forecasts, which through 2009, were issued jointly by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Water and Climate Center (NRCS-NWCC) and the National Weather Service (NWS) California-Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC). As of 2010, the NRCS-NWCC and NWS-CNRFC are issuing independent though collaborative forecasts.


Although daily decisions rely upon climate data, water data and forecasts issued by the NRCS-NWCC and the NWS-CNRFC, there is a general lack of understanding within these agencies about how their information is used by the broader Stakeholder community for decision making and how the uncertainty associated with the forecasts is related to decision risk. The problem addressed by this research is developing the information necessary to address the lack of knowledge about and develop products that address the use of climate data, water data and water supply forecasts for water supply and drought related decision making.


The rationale is to use the Stakeholder community within the Klamath Basin as a “test-bed” for the conceptual development of a suite of improved and enhanced climate, water, water supply and drought communication products, which are effective at communicating decision risk and tailored to the specific resource decisions among the Stakeholders. By using the Klamath Basin as a test-bed, a basin with a very broad range of resource issues and Stakeholders, the project results are expected to be applicable to other western basins within the U.S. facing similar challenges.


The proposed work is consistent with NOAA’s long-term climate adaptation and mitigation goal of an informed society anticipating and responding to climate and its impacts. Specifically, the proposed work will result in products able to inform mitigation and adaptation choices supported by sustained, reliable and timely climate services as well as understanding vulnerabilities to climate.


 

 

 

NOAA


Houston Engineering Inc


NCS


NRCS


Klamath County


Klamath Water Users


Kwapa


MBK


National Marine Fisheries


OSU


US-FWS


Bureau_of_Reclamation


Bureau_of_Reclamation