After months of infighting over water in California, it’s ironic that the Golden State is getting socked with more water they can handle, leading to flooding and mudslides.

But a few winter storms aren’t going to solve the problems caused by years of water mis-management and bad choices.

“Peer into a glass of drinking water and you are looking at a drop of human history—the water we consume today has been around in one form or another for thousands of years, continually recycled through the atmosphere and back into our cups.”  - National Geographic

Throughout history human civilizations have struggled to maintain their clean water supply, so there are a plethora of lessons we can learn by taking a look into the past.

The decision of how we use our water today will be a defining one - it may be this choice that sets us on the path towards survival… or extinction. The Sumerians, the Harappans, the Olmec… all of these societies and many more struggled to provide enough clean water to supply their crops and their people. The mistakes they made helped seal their fates.

Those particular examples are rooted in the deep past, but some recent history may also be helpful for Governor Schwarzenegger.  For instance – the water wars in Klamath Falls, Oregon. 

A Unique River System

Oregon’s Klamath Basin, like much of California, is totally unsuited for farmland without a lot of help - in this case, the Klamath Project, a huge federal venture that brought in water and power via irrigation and hydroelectric systems. With water, 225,000 acres of rangeland were transformed into fields of alfalfa, wheat and potatoes. There was an immediate negative impact on local wildlife populations and water channels - 80,000 of those acres were reclaimed from a marshy lake that had been used by migrating waterfowl - but in the 1940s, nobody much worried about a few fish and birds.

By the end of the 20th Century, though, environmental impact was a concern. And years of drought left regulators with a hard choice: keep water going to the farmers, or keep enough water in the river to keep the entire ecosystem healthy and allow the fish to survive, including the coho salmon run.

At the irrigation canal outside of Klamath Falls, the metal grates that allowed the precious water to flow to the many farms of the region were closed in July of 2001, in the middle of the growing season.

The Klamath Basin is an unusual watershed: unlike most rivers that start in the mountains and then flow through farmland, the Klamath runs through a high plateau of farms and then afterward flows through the mountains to the Pacific. Because of this, it actually becomes more clear as it nears the sea, unlike most U.S. rivers that start at a clear source and run dirtier as they fill up with human waste and debris. The Klamath Basin is also a closed water system, making it an ideal example of the dramatic conflict that can occur when there is a dispute over this precious resource.

A National Problem

The decision to shut down irrigation to the Klamath Basin created an immediate controversy. Farmers in the region felt betrayed, and as a the growing season fell into ruin desperation heightened. Protestors came into the Klamath Basin region from all over the country to support the farmers. Out of desperation and anger several locals forcibly opened the irrigation gates, and The National Guard had to be called in to re-close the gate, and guard it against further attacks.

Local officials started publicly expressing fears that someone might get shot, and Klamath Falls, Oregon was suddenly projected onto the national media scene. In Washington, D.C., the conflict was also drawing attention. It may have been due to election pressures, or maybe just to end a seriously ugly and public battle, but the federal government opted to open up the gates and let the fields drink again.

The local agricultural base survived, but the coho salmon run did not. The federal decision to turn the water back on caused a die-off of more than 33,0000 adult salmon.

A Community Solution

The immediate impacts of that choice were a failed salmon run, a failed fishery, and a devastated estuary, but the opening of the irrigation gates and mass death of salmon was not the final chapter in the Klamath Falls saga. Scientists, environmentalists, local tribes, farmers and fishermen were all distraught over the situation, and because of that turmoil a movement for reform was sparked. As Governor Schwarzenegger recently said about his own water woes, “when a crisis is at it’s worst, the opportunity for reform is at it’s greatest.” The Klamath Falls crisis was just such an opportunity, and it was the springboard needed to begin extensive scientific investigation into how to restore the Klamath basin estuary system. Most important, it opened up lines of communication between all of the people who felt a strong interest in the fate of the waters.

It took the better part of a decade to sort out, but the ultimate solution for the Klamath basin seems to be dam removal. The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, a comprehensive package of incentives and restoration projects, is slated to be signed in February.

This doesn’t mean the same solution will work for California, but it does show that through compromise, good scientific investigation, and well-supported legislation, a solution can be found.

(Coming next week:  “War of the Waters 2: The California Front”)