CA State Board Unanimously Approves Tougher Standards For Often-Polluted Klamath River

[hatrack]

State regulators on Tuesday unanimously approved a series of measures meant to improve the often terrible water quality in the Klamath River. The State Water Resources Control Board set limits on nutrients, algae and water temperature over the objection of the owner of four dams on the Klamath River. Pacificorp argued before the board in Sacramento Tuesday that the guidelines were unrealistic, unfeasible and based on flawed models.

The regulations -- called Total Maximum Daily Loads, or TMDLs -- were drafted by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board's staff over the course of years. They come in response to the federal government's listing of the river as impaired, because the water is too warm and polluted for salmon, for swimming and for tribal ceremonial uses.

The river was once the third most productive salmon fishery on the West Coast, but it is now plagued by overly warm temperatures, huge algae blooms -- especially in Upper Klamath Lake and in the reservoirs behind Pacificorp's dams -- and excess sediment.

Regional board water quality engineer Matt St. John said that the TMDLs aim is to control sources of pollutants and protect cool-water areas, called thermal refugia, that are important to salmon. Among the measures would be one to restrict suction dredge mining in the vicinity of these refugia. St. John said that the plan to address the problems is flexible and based on the best available science.

EDIT

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_16019384

[mike_c]

1. this is a major step forward-- the North Coast Water Quality Board...

...is actually a pretty sound organization and they do good work. They took on Pacific Lumber, too. Kudos!

[Semi_subversive]

2. I left the State Water Board back in 1994

and felt privileged to have worked with this great group from Santa Rosa. The measures they took to clean up the Russian River were outstanding, and luckily, they just keep on doing the right thing. Kudos to Bob Klamt and crew.