About KDD
About the Klamath Drainage District
Established in 1915, KDD plays an integral role in the Klamath Project, our communities and the wildlife around us.
Our story
From lakebed to farmland
The land that makes up the district was a natural low spot in the Klamath Basin, where water from area watersheds and the Lost River settled into Lower Klamath Lake. Marshy with low water levels, it would not become the district it is today without acts of Congress, railroads and enterprising landowners.
When the Klamath Project was established in 1905, lands in both Oregon and California were included, creating the Project’s first two irrigation districts. KDD began to take shape in 1907, when a railroad dike was built across the northwestern marshes of Lower Klamath Lake and constructed as a levee to control flows between the lake and the Klamath River.
- 1905Klamath Project established
- 1907Railroad dike and levee built across Lower Klamath Lake
- 1911Warren Act lets lands outside the original project contract with the Secretary of the Interior
- March 6, 1915Klamath Drainage District established
- November 30, 1917First contract signed with the Bureau of Reclamation
- 1977Oregon grants KDD a water right to irrigate October 1 to March 1
KDD today
A triangle of about 27,000 acres
The district lies north of Stateline Road, bordering the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, running east to Highway 97, north to just shy of Midland, and back down along the Klamath Hills to Stateline.
Its rich peat and lakebed soils support pasture for beef and dairy cattle, organic brewers barley, potatoes, alfalfa and grass hay.
Changing times
Making every drop go further
As farmers and consumers have become more sustainability-minded, so has KDD.
Efficient deliveries
KDD’s board and patrons have worked to streamline water deliveries. The district returns or reuses more than 75% of the water used within it.
Conservation on the farm
Some farmers have planted organic crops, while other landowners have taken up conservation work so both farms and wildlife can thrive for generations.
A bright spot in drought
When Tule Lake and Lower Klamath Lake went without water, KDD’s fields were the only bright spot in this part of the Pacific Flyway.
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