Upper Klamath Basin and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge Storage Feasibility Evaluation

GSI conducted a water storage feasibility evaluation of the Upper Klamath Basin for the Klamath Lake Land Trust. With supporting grant funds from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the project also included evaluating benefits of storage to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. The goal of storage is to augment instream flows, with a secondary purpose of allowing more water to be available for out-of-stream uses (i.e., irrigation). The key project stakeholders included the Oregon Water Resources Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Klamath Water Users Association, Klamath Tribes, and several Upper Klamath Lake landowners.

The feasibility study involved (1) developing storage facility evaluation criteria, (2) conducting a water availability analysis for storage, (3) conducting site screening based on physical conditions, (4) prioritizing sites based on the evaluation criteria, (5) evaluating the short-listed/priority sites against specific grant-required factors, and (6) developing a needs assessment and future implementation plan for the priority sites.

GSI managed a multidisciplinary team of consulting firms, working with Anderson Perry & Associates for the aboveground storage engineering analysis and David Evans & Associates to evaluate benefits of storage for the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. The work involved close coordination among the firms and direct engagement with the stakeholders to manage objectives and expectations to successfully deliver the project within the grant funding window.

GSI’s work involved:

• Developing storage facility evaluation criteria.
• Conducting a water availability analysis and site screening based on physical conditions.
• Evaluating a short list of priority sites against specific grant-required factors.
• Developing a needs assessment and future implementation plan for the priority sites.
• Managing and coordinating with a large team of stakeholders.