A judge on Friday denied motions to temporarily stop the state of Oregon from shutting off irrigation on ranches in the upper Klamath Basin to satisfy water rights the Klamath Tribes are using to protect fish. The Herald and News reported that Klamath County Circuit Judge Cameron Wogan denied motions filed by some upper basin ranchers seeking a temporary stay to enforcement of water rights. Proceedings on a permanent stay have not been scheduled, said court administrator Val Paulson. Since the tribes issued what is known as a call this week to enforce those rights, the Oregon Water Resources Department has been notifying ranchers with junior water rights they must stop irrigating. They started Wednesday on the Sprague River, telling ranchers with water rights dating to 1864 they must turn off pumps and shut headgates. Watermasters are expected to move on to the Williamson and Wood rivers in about a week. Lawyers for the state opposed the motions to stop the shutoffs, filing legal papers that argued the law is clear: when water is in short supply due to drought, junior water rights must be shut off to satisfy the senior rights in areas that have gone through a legal process known as adjudication...more
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