Upper Klamath Basin Nonpoint Source Pollution Assessment and Management Program Plan

The Consortium produced this Nonpoint Source (NPS) Assessment and Management Program Plan (AMPP) to address water quality issues in the Upper Klamath Basin which affect the Lower Klamath Basin (Figure 1). Water quality problems in the Upper Klamath Basin and its tributaries have been well documented in the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for Upper Klamath Lake (ODEQ 2002) and Upper Klamath and Lost rivers (ODEQ 2010b), California North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Klamath River TMDL (NCRWQCB 2010), evaluations of techniques for water quality improvement (Stillwater Sciences et al. 2012, 2013), an Environmental Impact Statement/Report for the proposed removal of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project (US DOI and CDFG 2012), and numerous other studies by federal, tribal, and state agencies. At Iron Gate Dam near the California border, the Klamath River water is often of insufficient quantity and poor quality to meet the needs of fish, wildlife, and humans. To address this problem, the Consortium’s goal is to improve land and water management in the Upper Klamath Basin area to improve the quality of water entering the Lower Klamath Basin.

This NPS AMPP covers the portion of the Klamath Basin that is upstream of Iron Gate Dam near Hornbrook, CA, excepting the Lost River and Butte sub-basins. This area was chosen for this assessment because water quality impacts to water quality on the Klamath River primarily occur upstream of this location.