Our Klamath Basin
Water Crisis
Upholding rural Americans' rights to grow food,
own property, and caretake our wildlife and natural resources.
City Council right to fight
unrealistic water standards for Klamath River
Herald and News Editorial
February 22, 2011
If there's any logic behind the
federal government's proposed Klamath River pollution
standards, we hope it becomes apparent soon in the city of
Klamath Falls' petition for review of the matter. But since
the treated wastewater that goes from the city's facilities
to the river is cleaner than the water put there by nature,
that doesn't look likely.
The city, along with other Upper
Klamath Basin governmental units and businesses, face
potentially huge costs to try to live up to a standard set
by state and federal officials that can't be met. The
estimated costs range anywhere from $2 million to $200
million for the city alone. The most likely cost appears to
be at least $6 million, which would also add an additional
$200,000 a year in operating costs. Depending on the figure,
that could send rates skyrocketing for those served by the
city wastewater system. Residents in the suburban area,
which is served by the South Suburban Sanitary District ,
also ware dealing with the issue, which is commonly known
by its initials - TMDL - which stands for "total daily
maximum load." The problem for the Upper Klamath Basin area
comes from the amount of naturally occurring phosphorous in
the river. In 2008, the chief scientist for the Oregon
Department of Geology and Mineral Industries estimated the
amount as about 10 times the norm. Last week the Klamath
Falls City Council filed a petition with the Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality for review of the
unrealistic standards that were set by the DEQ, in response
to federal law. The process could eventually lead to a
lawsuit to try to prevent the costly new benchmarks. The new
standards are set by the federal Clean Water Act of 1972 and
enforced by the federal Environmental Protection Agency,
which has received the proposed order for the Klamath River
Basin from the DEQ and is expected to respond any time. The
City Council did the right thing in moving to challenge the
proposed TMDL standards. Rather than spending money on
expensive new filtration and treatment facilities that won't
improve the river, people have better things to spend their
money on. Like food. Or rent. Or schools.
|
Page Updated: Friday February 25, 2011 08:44 PM Pacific
Copyright © klamathbasincrisis.org, 2010, All Rights Reserved