Klamath River Releases for Endangered Species Upheld on Appeal

The US Bureau of Reclamation must consult with a federal wildlife agency to ensure a major water management project in Northern California and Southern Oregon provides enough water for two protected species’ critical habitat, a federal appeals panel ruled Wednesday.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a lower court’s ruling stating the Endangered Species Act “generally applies” to the federal agency’s water contracts for the Klamath River Basin Project, which delivers water to approximately 240,000 acres of farmland and national wildlife refuges.

Appellants, the Klamath Irrigation District and the Klamath Water Users Association, didn’t see their ...