KLAMATH IRRIGATION DISTRICT FILES A SECOND APPEAL TO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT IN 2023
The McCarran Amendment empowers a state court to adjudicate and administer all “rights to the use of water” within a basin or river system in a single, comprehensive proceeding so that all state and federal water rights in a source may be administered together. This way, parties may safely rely on their adjudicated water rights and enforce them against others without fear of some other court issuing a conflicting ruling.
“This case undermines this long-settled regime. According to the Ninth Circuit, the federal government has power to remove a motion to enforce state-adjudicated water rights from the state court that is currently adjudicating those rights to federal court, if enforcement of the adjudicated rights may affect (1) out-of-state parties that never filed claims or contests in the adjudication or (2) how the federal government meets obligations imposed by federal law. But these circumstances are features of virtually every state water administration proceeding. In effect, therefore, the Ninth Circuit’s ruling enables the federal government to prevent the state courts that are empowered to conduct general stream adjudications from administering and enforcing the very water rights they are adjudicating.”
KLAMATH IRRIGATION DISTRICT’S 1ST APPEAL TO U.S. SUPREME COURT TO SAFEGUARD WESTERN WATER RIGHTS
The petition to the Supreme Court signals a crucial juncture in the long-running dispute between farmers and the federal government over water rights in Oregon’s Upper Klamath Lake. Over the past fifty years, the State of Oregon has remained dedicated to finalizing a comprehensive stream adjudication process to accurately determine ALL state and federal water rights in the Upper Klamath Basin. Throughout this process, the federal government and tribes have consistently contested Oregon’s authority to adjudicate their rights. However, over thirty years ago, the Ninth Circuit dismissed these challenges in United States v. State of Or., 44 F3d 758, 762 (9th Cir 1994), ruling that the McCarran Amendment (43 U.S.C. §666) waives the United States’ sovereign immunity, allowing the State of Oregon to adjudicate all state and federal water rights, including those of tribes, in Oregon’s Klamath Basin.
NOTICE OF OPENINGS FOR THE K.I.D. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
There are two positions on the Board of Directors of Klamath Irrigation District that will be open at the end of 2023. The open positions are for Division 3 (currently held by Grant W. Knoll) for a full term of three years, and Division 4 (currently held by David A. Hamel) for a full term of three years. The new terms of office will begin in January 2024.
Parties interested in running for election for either board position must file a Nominating Petition. To run for a board position, the candidate must be registered with Klamath Irrigation District to vote in a District election, must be a qualified elector in the open division, and must file a valid Nominating Petition by 5:00pm, Tuesday, 10 October 2023 at the District office. To inquire about qualifications and/or to pick up a Nominating Petition, please contact the KID office at 6640 KID Lane, Klamath Falls, Oregon: or telephone 541-882-6661.
(ORS 545.137 (3) – published or posted not less than 60 days prior to the scheduled election date)
District News & Updates
Find the latest information and updates below.
Partner News & Updates
Visit the websites below for additional updates
Forms & Tools for Water Users
The following links may help water users to figure out how much water to order and to keep track of water use. The Irrigation Water Use Worksheet, a .pdf file which can be downloaded/printed, is a blank form which can be filled out to help keep track of daily water use. It also contains an EXAMPLE of how the form is used and a CHART to determine the approximate discharge of a sprinkler nozzle in Gallons Per Minute (gpm) based on pressure and nozzle size.
The Water Use Spreadsheet is an Excel spreadsheet, which can be downloaded and saved, that calculates the quantity of water used by a sprinkler system based on number of nozzles, pressure and nozzle size.
Sprinkler Nozzle Discharge Chart
Stakeholder Information
Monthly Board of Directors Meeting
14 September 2023 at 1 pm
Location 6640 K.I.D. Lane, Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603
Public call-in access to the meeting is available by dialing (425) 436-6347 with access code 8826661#
All meetings of the Board of Directors shall be open to the public except as otherwise provided under Oregon’s Public Meeting Law.
Meetings occur the second Thursday of each month (unless postponed or rescheduled at the discretion of the President or Secretary of the Board) at the K.I.D. HQ. Meetings are held at 1 p.m. from May through October and at 10 a.m. from November through April.
Standing Monthly Directors Meeting Agenda
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL:
PUBLIC COMMENTS: (Public comments will be limited to 2 minutes per person)
REVIEW AGENDA:
- CHANGES, ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA
- APPROVAL OF BOARD AGENDA
ITEMS BEFORE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: OLD & NEW BUSINESS:
- APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS BOARD MEETING MINUTES
- FINANCIAL REPORT
- MAINTENANCE REPORT
- WATER OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT REPORT
- RECLAMATION UPDATE
- KWUA UPDATE
- DRA UPDATE
- OWRC UPDATE
- SDAO UPDATE
- FARMERS CONSERVATION ALLIANCE UPDATE
- INTERNAL OPERATIONS
- LEGAL REPORT
- OTHER
PUBLIC COMMENTS: (Public comments will be limited to 2 minutes per person)
EXECUTIVE SESSION (IAW ORS 192.660(2)(f)(h)(i)(n))
Our Core Values build the foundation for how we make decisions and how we treat others.
Integrity: As public servants, we are bound to do what is right ethically, morally, and legally. We adhere to high ethical standards, provide timely, accurate, and complete reporting. We present facts as we understand them, and welcome disagreement.
Golden Rule: We respect all people. If we all shared the same opinions, this world would be boring. In dealing with our differences, we strive to treat others as we wish to be treated. This requires us to try and understand the position of others.
Self Improvement: We recognize that perfection is expected from our public…and we often fall short. Our ability to learn from our mistakes, improve our organization, improve our infrastructure, and improve our community is our commitment to our desire to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.
Our Mission is to serve, protect, and defend
The mission of Klamath Irrigation District is to acquire, maintain, assure, and deliver an adequate water supply for beneficial use on qualified land with the Klamath Project. We represent our Patrons before government agencies, the legislature, Congress, and in such forms as appropriate for the perfection and protection of their water rights. We defend the District from actions which would diminish our effectiveness and function. We further promote the conservation of water, soil, and other natural resources.