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Comments on Klamath River Basin Science Conference: Water resources discussed

at Wednesday’s meeting

2/8/10 by Dr. John Menke

I am pleased to see that some good science is beginning to be done to try to get to the challenging problem of 10 million+ years of phosphorus mobilization in the Upper Klamath Basin. I read Steve Kaffka (2002) report funded by the California State Water Resources Control Board and realize that tremendous challenges exist to every aspect to clean up the drainage water before it enters the Klamath River. I think agriculture may have a larger role than has been previously discussed. Export of phosphorus in crops that produce seeds with their inherently high phosphorus levels could be the most important means of removing phosphorus from the upper watershed--export of P in bone growth of growing steers is also ripe for export.

Klamath River Basin Science Conference: Call made for ‘integrated science framework’

Sedell is totally full of bull****! The lower Klamath River Native American tribal program using the last of the Klamath Act funds during its last three years removed large wood debris dams that were blocking spawning salmon passage to small tributaries along the Klamath River. Sedell was brought to this conference just because of his name associated with the benefits of large woody debris in site specific beneficial situations. The Federal agencies went much overboard in putting large woody debris at inappropriate locations--another example of where a one-size fits all solution went bad. Sedell's speech was just a promotional effort to sell the dam removal concept. A lot of research will be needed before a sound decision can be made on dam removal.

John Menke