River flows to be reduced 35 percent

Federal agencies are reducing flows through Link River Dam this month to evaluate potential benefits to endangered suckers. The Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are expected to begin reducing flows this week. The reduction is intended to decrease the number of juvenile suckers from Upper Klamath Lake that are passed downstream below Link River Dam, into Lake Ewauna, where they may encounter conditions less favorable to their survival, a news release said. BOR Spokeswoman Laura Williams said water deliveries from Upper Klamath Lake to the Klamath Project will not be impacted by the changes. Lost River suckers and their counterpart, shortnose suckers, were given protections by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1988. Both species are facing a high threat of extinction and are believed to have low recovery potential because most of the juveniles hatched from fertilized eggs don’t make it to adulthood. The adjustments are expected to coincide with peak juvenile sucker numbers observed at Link River Dam. The adjustments will result in a flow reduction of approximately 35 percent for seven to 10 days from the initial reduction date, the release said. The BOR is coordinating the flow reduction with PacifiCorp, which operates the Link River Dam...more