LaMalfa Applauds Trump Administration for Restoring Water to Klamath Basin Farmers

(Modoc County, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) released the following statement after today’s announcement from the Bureau of Reclamation that farmers in the Klamath Basin would receive the full 140,000-acre feet of water committed to them in April. In May, after locals spent more than $60 million to prepare for the growing season, their forecasted delivery was cut nearly in half to 80,000-acre feet. LaMalfa participated in the “Shut Down & Fed Up” rally with thousands of participants to spotlight the farmers’ need for their full water allocation, otherwise their already-planted crops would wither under the summer sun.

LaMalfa said: “Today’s announcement is a win for Klamath Basin farmers and America’s food supply chain. While Basin farmers are still only receiving 40% of their legal water right from Upper Klamath Lake, it will help to get them through the remainder of the growing season with the crops they currently have in the ground. I was pleased to partner with my colleague from Oregon, Congressman Greg Walden, in this fight to restore water to our farmers on both sides of the border. A big thank you to the Trump Administration for acting quickly to prioritize agriculture and overrule the bureaucracies that created this crisis. The water in the Klamath Project needs to remain where it belongs: with the Basin farmers who hold the water right and rely on it for their economic survival.”

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