Family exemplifies Klamath water uncertainty

The biological opinion is a guiding document that Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath Basin Area Office uses to ensure the Endangered Species Act is followed, as is required by law. Along with that, the bureau is tasked with delivering water to irrigators in the Klamath Project in accordance with this document. The document will also allow it to issue a concrete water allocation and operations plan for the year.Paul Crawford spoke up about his concerns about the new biological opinion — known to some in the Basin as ‘BiOp’ — at a March 22 meeting hosted by Reclamation, and attended by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.“In 2019, I plan on planting some permanent crops,” he said during the meeting. “With the new biological opinion, how likely am I going to be able to irrigate those crops in the future years?”Bureau officials are not unsympathetic.