The hugely complex Klamath Basin Restoration Deal was announced just a couple days ago, and already the dissent has been withering.

In one sense, we shouldn’t be surprised; it’s a loaded issue, and any agreement would likely add fuel to the firestorm over the Klamath’s dying salmon runs.

I was willing to chalk up much of the negative feedback to simple sour grapes, but the range of dissent has been surprising. One very credible Klamath expert even suggested irrigators will be enjoying Christmas pretty much every day for the next 50 years.

Like many folks, I’ve been focused almost solely on the issue of dam removal (and it’s critical to salmon recovery), but it turns out I might have been suffering from a combination of tunnel vision and wishful thinking.

I’m researching this one for you, and hope to have something postable early next week. In the meantime, this LA Times story nicely summarizes the issues.

Look for lots, lots more on this one.

See you on the Klamath, Tom Chandler.

Posted in Klamath River.