The Settlement Agreements (2006 to 2010)
Overcoming years of arguments and animosity, the key players in the Klamath Basin finally realized that it was time to try to work together and see if they could find common ground. What emerged from these years of discussions and negotiations were two major agreements:
1. The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA), which established predictable water allocations for ranchers, farmers, fish, and wildlife refuges, and also identified restoration projects throughout the basin. The KBRA was signed by the Secretary of the Interior, the governors of California and Oregon, and 41 stakeholders in 2010.
2. The Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA), which detailed the plans to remove the four dams owned and operated by PacifiCorp. PacifiCorp would contribute the first $200 million towards the cost of the dam removals, most of which has already been collected through surcharges to its ratepayers. Any costs above that level would be covered by the state of California using funds from the Water Bond that was passed in 2014. The total estimated cost of the dam removals is around $300 million. The KHSA was also signed in 2010 by KBRA parties plus PacifiCorp.
3. A third agreement, the Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement, was added in 2014 to resolve water disputes between ranchers and the Klamath Tribe in the upper watershed.