Klamath Irrigation District2026 Irrigation Season
Leave water in the canal. Get paid by the acre.
Reclamation has limited the Project to about 221,000 acre-feet this year — less than your contracts call for. The Surface Water Abatement Program pays KID patrons per acre to reduce their surface water use for the rest of the season, leaving that water in the system so the whole District can irrigate further into the year. You carry the enrolled acres on your own existing water right — the program adds no new groundwater use.
Early signers earn an extra $15 per acre — bringing you up to the maximum rate the Board approved on May 27. The Board meets June 11 to review enrollment.
Sign up to take some or all of your acres off KID surface water for the rest of 2026, and KID pays you by the acre for the canal water you give up. The less surface water you've already taken, the more you earn — because acres that haven't been watered yet leave the most real water in the system for everyone else.
This program buys wet surface water — not paper water.A surface water program — not a pumping program.
KID pays only for the surface water you stop taking. Your payment is measured by the canal water you give up — nothing else.
KID pays nothing toward wells, pumps, power, or groundwater, and grants no new or expanded right to pump. Any groundwater you use is your own existing Oregon water right, used within its permitted limits.
The point is simple: keep wet surface water in Upper Klamath Lake and the canals, so KID can deliver it where it's needed and the District can irrigate longer into the season.
Rates step down by how much you've already taken
Payment is per enrolled acre. You choose cash after the season ends or a credit on your 2027 assessment (the credit is worth more). The tier is set by how much KID surface water those acres have received in 2026 as of the day you sign.
You haven't turned the water on
A little taken
Almost a foot taken
One foot or more already taken
Why the steps? SWAP pays for the water it actually frees. Acres that haven't been watered free the most; acres that have already taken nearly a foot free very little — so once an acre has taken a full foot, there isn't enough left for the program to buy.
+ $15 / acre if you sign before June 11
Call the office and schedule your appointment early enough to sign with staff before 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 11, 2026, and KID adds $15 per acre on top of whichever option you choose. That brings an early signer up to the full rate the Board approved on May 27.
Have a closed well system? The DRA Limited Program may pay more.
If your well delivers straight to your field through a closed system, you may qualify for the Klamath Project Drought Response Agency's Limited Irrigation Program instead — a separate program with its own rules and a higher rate for perennial ground:
(alfalfa, pasture, grass hay)
(e.g. winter & spring grain)
First — you need your own water right
SWAP only works if you already have your own source.
To take part, you must already hold a valid Oregon water right — a permit or certificate for a groundwater well or other non-Project source — that covers the exact acres you want to enroll. SWAP simply swaps in a supply you are already entitled to use: it creates no new water right, funds no pumping, and expands nothing. If you don't already have your own alternative source for those acres, this program isn't a fit — and your KID surface water continues as usual.
If that describes you, every one of these must also be true:
You agree to take zero further KID surface water on the enrolled acres for the rest of the season (about October 1), and to let KID verify the acres are off the canal. The surface water you free up stays with the District and is redistributed within KID — you keep your surface water right; you're simply choosing not to take delivery this one season.
Call the office to schedule an appointment
Enrollment is by appointment — there is no online or mail-in form. Call the KID office, leave your name and number, and staff will schedule a time to complete your enrollment in person. Every rate is published right here on this page, so you'll know the numbers before you call.
Before you call: if you irrigate from a closed well system, look back at the DRA Limited Program comparison above — for perennial ground it may pay more, and you cannot enroll the same acres in both. It's worth deciding which program fits before you schedule a SWAP appointment.
Call & leave your number
Phone the KID office and ask for a SWAP appointment. Leave your name and number so staff can reach you to set a time.
Meet with District staff
At your appointment, staff confirm how much surface water you've taken, which tier you fall in, and validate your crop and water right. You choose cash after the season or a credit on your 2027 assessment.
Sign at your appointment
Sign with staff to enroll. Schedule early enough to sign before June 11 for the extra $15/acre.
Final deadline: signed by 4:30 p.m. · July 1, 2026
Call to get started.
Phone the KID office and leave your name and number. Staff will call you back to schedule an appointment, go over your acres and tier, and complete your enrollment.
6640 KID Lane, Klamath Falls, OR
(541) 882-6661 · office hours
