Tag: North Canal

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KDD’s NRCS Watershed Plan Approved

Klamath Drainage District Manager Scott White signing NRCS Watershed Plan.

Final plans approved for Klamath Drainage District Infrastructure Modernization Project

Contact:
Lauren Bennett, NRCS Oregon
Public Affairs Officer
Email: Lauren.Bennett2@usda.gov
Phone: 503-414-3220

Klamath Falls, OR (December 5, 2025) – The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Oregon has released a Final Watershed Plan Environmental Assessment (EA) and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Klamath Drainage District (KDD) Infrastructure Modernization Project.

NRCS Oregon has determined that the project will not cause significant local, regional, or national impacts to the environment. With a Final Watershed Plan EA in place, the project is now eligible for federal funding (pending Plan authorization by NRCS Chief Bettencourt) and may move forward into final design and construction.

The project will install a fish screen at the North Canal Diversion on the Klamath River; extend the North Canal and connect it to the P-1 Lateral; modify the North Canal to increase flow capacity; upgrade two pump stations for operational efficiency and to reduce water discharge to the Klamath River via the Klamath Straits Drain; and install flow monitoring and automated gates throughout the project area to improve water management.

By modernizing infrastructure, the proposed project would enable KDD to improve water management within its conveyance system and benefit fish populations in the Klamath River by preventing fish from getting trapped in KDD’s canals. By reducing water use inefficiencies, the proposed project would improve water quality in the Klamath River. The project would also allow KDD to supply additional water to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, which would increase critically needed habitat for wildlife.

The project is a joint effort among NRCS Oregon and KDD as the project sponsor and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as cooperating agencies, in coordination with other agencies, stakeholders, and the public.

The Final Watershed Plan-EA and other supporting documents for the project are available at: https://watershedplans.org/klamath-dd.

The project may be partially funded through the Watershed and Flood Prevention Program, administered by NRCS and authorized by Public Law 83-566. Through this program, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to local organizations (project sponsors) for planning and implementing projects that help solve natural resource and related economic problems in a specific watershed. These projects can include watershed protection, flood prevention, erosion and sediment control, water supply, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat enhancement, and wetlands creation.

For more information about this and other irrigation modernization efforts, visit https://watershedplans.org or the NRCS Oregon public notice webpage.

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Klamath Drainage District Manager Scott White signing NRCS Watershed Plan.
KDD General Manager signing the district’s NRCS Watershed Plan with Damon Brosnan, Acting for Greg Becker, NRCS Oregon State Conservationist.
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Klamath Drainage District Prepares for Salmon in Klamath River

The Ady Canal diversion before it enters into the Klamath Drainage District north of Worden, Oregon.

KDD Blue Eagle Logo

Klamath Drainage District Prepares for Salmon in Klamath River

KDD has been working with various partners to ensure water security for district family farmers and ranchers while ensuring success for endangered fish populations.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Scott White, Klamath Drainage District
General Manager
Email: scott.white@klamathdrainagedistrict.org
Phone: 541-884-1739

Klamath Falls, OR – On September 26th, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shared a short, 11-second video of a Chinook salmon leaping from the last pool of the Keno Dam fish ladder on its way up the Klamath River.

While social media commentators celebrated and scrutinized the video, the Klamath Drainage District board has been preparing for this moment.

KDD has two diversion points on the Klamath River – the Ady Canal and the North Canal. Both are possible avenues for salmon making their way into the district, with the Ady Canal being one of the first diversion points the Chinook would encounter on the Klamath River in Oregon.

“We have been very aware of this possibility and have been planning with a variety of partners and stakeholders on how we can ensure the success of these fish if they enter the district while providing water security for our landowners,” said KDD Manager, Scott White. “We’ve been working to find a balance to ensure the district’s family farms continue for generations while protecting salmon and sucker fish populations.”

Part of the preparation for salmon in the district can be found in KDD’s Ady Canal Reconnection Project, also known as the Lower Klamath Reconnection Project or colloquially as Replumbing the Klamath. This project focuses on permanently connecting the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (LKNWR) to the Klamath River, providing habitat for birds that use the refuge as well as for potential spawning grounds for C’waam and Koptu populations. By opening up Ady Canal for fish passage to LKNWR, migrating salmon could also access Lower Klamath Lake.

The original plans were to keep fish from accessing the district’s canals and drains by building large fish screens at the North Canal and Ady Canal diversions. However, the plan has evolved to have smaller screens installed at turnouts along the canals where water is allowed on to fields. By installing fish screens at these turnouts, fish will be able to access Lower Klamath Lake.

“Let’s be clear – there are no guarantees that salmon will make it into the district. But if they do, we want to be prepared and our farmers and ranchers to be protected,” said White. “I’m grateful to the partners we have working on this project, and in regards to the fish screens, I would like to especially thank the Family Water Alliance for their guidance on this.”

The installation of the first fish screen is slated for 2026 pending KPFA promised funding from Oregon and the United States.

To learn more about the Lower Klamath Reconnection Project, please visit https://klamathdrainagedistrict.org/replumbing-the-klamath/. From there, you can also find a list of the organizations that are partnering with KDD on this project.

About the Klamath Drainage District:

Klamath Drainage District (KDD) is a 27,000-acre district located in southern Oregon bordering the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge in California. KDD proactively works to improve distribution and delivery of its scarce water resources including recycling over 35,000 acre-feet annually through its recently installed recirculation pumping plants. Of this recycled water, most is reused to grow crops, but a percentage is used for growers outside of the district and used for habitat improvement and other refuge purposes. KDD is home to one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles in the lower 48 states and prides itself on its restoration activities and the tremendous wildlife viewing opportunities it provides.

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Download a PDF version of “Klamath Drainage District Prepares for Salmon in the Klamath River”

The Ady Canal diversion from the Klamath River before it enters into the Klamath Drainage District at pumping station F/FF.
The Klamath Drainage District’s Ady Canal diversion point before entering the district, located across from the district’s F/FF pumping stations along Highway 97, just north of Worden, OR. Photo: Darcy Hill, Klamath Drainage District.
The Ady Canal diversion before it enters into the Klamath Drainage District north of Worden, Oregon.
The Ady Canal diversion point from the Klamath River before it enters into the Klamath Drainage District, located just north of Worden, OR, on Highway 97. Photo: Darcy Hill, Klamath Drainage District.
The North Canal diversion from the Klamath River into KDD, south of Midland, OR.
Klamath Drainage District’s North Canal diversion from the Klamath River just south of Midland, OR. Photo: Darcy Hill, Klamath Drainage District.
The North Canal diversion from the Klamath River before it enters into Klamath Drainage District, just south of Midland, OR.
The North Canal diversion from the Klamath River before it enters the Klamath Drainage District. This diversion point is located just south of Midland, OR, off Highway 97. Photo: Darcy Hill, Klamath Drainage District.