To: Board of Supervisors
From: Public Works
Agenda Section: Time Certain Matter
SUBJECT:
title
9:30 a.m. - Klamath Dam Removal Update
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Receive an update on efforts to remove the four lowermost dams on the Klamath River and information on the public meeting to be held in Arcata on February 6, 2019, regarding the draft Environmental Impact Report for the dam removal project; and
2. Authorize the Chair of the Board to sign the attached comment letter and transmit to Public Works for submittal to the State Water Resources Control Board.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
General Fund (1100251 Water Management)
DISCUSSION:
Within Humboldt County, the Klamath River passes through the communities of Orleans and Weitchpec, portions of the Hoopa Valley and Yurok Indian Reservations, and the aboriginal homelands of the Karuk Tribe. Although the mouth of the Klamath River is in Del Norte County, salmon fisheries along Humboldt County's 125 miles of coastline are largely dependent on the health and productivity of the Klamath River basin. The City of Eureka and the Port of Humboldt serve as an economic focal point with infrastructure for commercial and recreational fisheries. Commercial, recreational, and tribal fisheries are a vital part of Humboldt County's economy and core community values, and the county has a vested interest in protecting and restoring Klamath River fisheries.
Starting in 2006, the county actively participated in negotiations with state and federal agencies, tribes, local governments, irrigators, conservation groups, and the private utility company PacifiCorp to address water and fishery issues in the Klamath River basin. On February 9, 2010, the Board of Supervisors approved Resolution 10-11 which made the county a signatory to the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement ("KHSA") and Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement ("KBRA"). The KHSA provided terms for removal of...
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