Klamath County Commissioner Donnie Boyd is studying the
concept of purchasing an additional water gauge for the
Wood River as early as the 2019 irrigation season.
Boyd floated the concept to Commissioners Derrick
DeGroot and Kelley Minty Morris Tuesday afternoon during
a regular meeting at the Klamath County Government
Center.
Boyd estimates a gauge could cost about $100,000, and he
plans to identify the best locations for the proposed
equipment, if it is approved by board members. The cost
could be split between more than one entity, he said,
but there are no definitive details at this time.
“There is a distinct desire to have a water gauge on the
Wood River so that an independent group can monitor the
water,” Boyd said. “I think we need to put one in the
Williamson, too, but these gauges are extremely
expensive.”
Boyd said he believes an additional gauge should be
located in a confined area, likely at Weed Road, so the
water can be accurately measured.
“The goal here is to make sure that we have captured all
the water in the river so that we have accurate data for
all the stakeholders and that includes the (Klamath)
Tribes,” Boyd said following the regular meeting.
He
said a new gauge would likely be similar to the two
gauges already located in the river.
“This would be a different location,” Boyd said. “We’re
going to look for experts to help us find that.”
Any action would need approval from the majority of the
Commission, though Minty Morris and DeGroot expressed
interest in assisting in finding a solution for
monitoring water in the region.
“I
totally support the idea of trying to help our friends
in ag in the Upper Basin, particularly to have a
mechanism for knowing what their fate will be,” Minty
Morris said. “My question would be, how do we go about
logistically doing this? Would this be a grant? Do we
have to do an (Request For Proposal) RFP? Would we have
a contract with someone?”
Boyd said details are still being studied and that the
concept is in the preliminary stages.
“We can start working on the fine details, if that’s
where we’re going to go,” Boyd said.
DeGroot urged Boyd to investigate the details further
and come back to the commission in the near future.
In
a previous H&N story, Ivan Gall, administrator for the
OWRD field services division, said the entity is
evaluating if current water guage locations on the Wood
River operated by U.S. Geological Survey and OWRD are
the most appropriate.
Gall said personnel from each agency compare
measurements from the same site and measure throughout
the river to ensure accuracy.
