Klamath Basin Water Nutrient loading dr ken rykbost 102906

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Dr. Ken Rykbost presentation in Yreka at the Greenhorn Grange October 20, 1006 on Nutrient Loading in the Upper Klamath Basin

Nutrient Loading of Surface Waters in the Upper Klamath Basin: Agricultural and Natural Sources, by Dr. Ken Rykbost, Superintendent Professor, and B.A. Charlton, Faculty Research Assistant, Klamath Experiment Station, Klamath Falls, Oregon,

Following are notes by Katherine Lehman, PFUSA, 10/29/06

A good point he made was that every acre taken out of ag. prod. and put into wetlands will use more water than ag. does.

He talked about the 16,000 acres of leased land (ag. prod.) within the Tulelake Wildlife Refuge would be three feet under water without the dikes.

He talked about the 100,000 acre feet of the Lost Lake Slough in the 70's and 80's that took water from the Upper Klamath Lake and put it into Lost Lake, NOT down the river.

He countered the notion (stated as fact by Gang Greed) that wetlands are sponges, when in fact they produce their own nutrients.........just at a different time of year.

He, of course, destroyed the BiOps requirement of high lake level at UKL.........citing 90's levels of 4136.8, and 4137.0 WITHOUT FISH KILLS.

He talked about the phosphorus and nitrogen(?) coming from the springs around the basin, including the ones underneath UKL. He said the P and N levels in the artesian wells of the Wood River Ranch mean you could grow crops hydroponically w/o adding any P and N......which are significant amounts of naturally occuring P and N.

He talked about the algae bloom spikes in July and Sept., in the UKL, from the algae blooms are from the naturally-occuring P and N levels, NOT runoff from ag. prod. Actually, the utrophic nature of the basin, and the naturally-occuring nutrients load 180,000 pounds of P into the project, and 2,000,000 pounds of N, with a net sink of 80,000 pounds of P in the project each year.

One last point...........he also pointed out that the Tui Chub's diet includes phytoplankton that combat blue-green algae overgrowth.

I asked Ken if anyone has ever studied the amount of nitrogen the geese, and other waterfowl, contribute to the Basin. Of course, they have not...........and with it only requiring, what is it, 32 geese per steer (?), that amount would be significant.

Kathy Lehman

For Rykbost's biography, go HERE

For Dr Rykbost power point presentation on Dr. Hardy science in the biological opinion, go HERE