Klamath Falls, Ore. – While groundwater pumping is helping Klamath Project farmers get through a drought, a new study shows pumping is having a dramatic impact on water levels.
The U.S. Geological Survey report says groundwater levels drop by as much as 25 feet during years of heavy pumping for irrigation.
“So you’ll see that drop, but it won’t recover to the year prior.” Notes Klamath Basin Watermaster Scott White. “And that’s really the scary thing.”
2010 was one of those heavy pumping years – and levels dropped to the point where the town of Merrill ran dry, and had to tap deeper into a well for water.
Drought declarations open the door for groundwater pumping.
But Scott White notes those declarations are becoming more frequent…
“Seven out of the last thirteen years, I think have been a Governor declared drought – which really shows the impact of surface water availability to the irrigators in the basin.”
And the debate over water is likely to continue…even underground.
The U.S.G.S. study says that prior to 2001, about 28 thousand acre feet of water were pumped per year on the Klamath Project.
That number jumped to nearly 129 thousand acre feet during the drought of 2010.
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