As of fiscal year 2005,
the National Irrigation Water Quality Program
has been inactive.

For further information regarding the program,
please "Contact Us" via the link
at the top of this page.

NIWQP Project/Study Area—

Klamath Basin Refuge Complex, California - Oregon

Location

The study area is in the Klamath River Basin on the California-Oregon state border. The region encompasses two watersheds, the Klamath River watershed and the Lost River watershed that formerly terminated in Tule Lake. (Detail map pdf)

Status

After a detailed review from the studies conducted at this Project, it was determined that trace constituents dissolved from soils and mobilized by irrigation return flows do not occur at levels in water, sediment, and the biota that constitute threats to migratory birds and endangered species. Therefore, the NIWQP is no longer involved at this location. There are other concerns in this area which can be addressed by careful project management by the responsible parties.

Phases 2 and 3 Data

Chemical Data From Water:
ASCII - 390 KB .dat File or Microsoft Excel - 1,399 KB .xls File

Bottom Material:
ASCII - 10 KB .dat File

Inorganic:
ASCII - 38 KB .dat File or Microsoft Excel - 136 KB .xls File

Organic:
ASCII - 31 KB .dat File or Microsoft Excel - 108 KB .xls File

Documents

Dileanis, P.D., Schwarzbach, S.E., Bennett, J. and others, 1996, Detailed Study of Water Quality, Bottom Sediment, and Biota Associated with Irrigation Drainage in the Klamath Basin, California and Oregon, 1990-92: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 95-4232, 68 p.

Bennett, J.K., Schwarzbach, S.E, and Grue, C.E., 1994, Irrigation drainwater hazards to aquatic organisms in the Klamath Basin of Oregon and California: (abs.) in Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 15th Annual Meeting, Abstracts of the technical sessions, Denver, Colorado, October 30-November 3, 1994, p. 75.

MacCoy, D.E., 1994, Physical, chemical, and biological data for detailed study of irrigation drainage in the Klamath Basin, California and Oregon, 1990-92: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-497, 168 p.

Coyle, J.J., Bennett, J.K., Maurer, T., and Schwarzbach, S.E., 1993, Environmental contaminants monitoring at units of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex: A Pilot Study: (abs.) in Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 14th Annual meeting, Abstracts of the technical sessions, Houston, Texas, November 14-18, 1993, p. 165.

Sefchick, J.A., Bennett, J.K., and Schwarzbach, S.E., 1993, Aquatic community degradation in wetlands of the Klamath basin: (abs.) in Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 14th Annual Meeting, Abstracts of the technical sessions, Houston, Texas, November 14-18, 1993, p. 263.

Bennett, J.K., Littleton, T.M., and Grue, C.E., 1992, Response of aquatic community to irrigation drainwater at the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges: (abs.) in Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 13th Annual Meeting, Abstracts of the technical sessions, Cincinnati, OH, November 8-12, 1992, p. 74.

Schwarzbach, S.E., and Bennett, J.K., 1992, fish and wildlife at the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges: (abs.) in Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 13th Annual Meeting, Abstracts of the technical sessions, Cincinnati, OH, November 8-12, 1992, p. 3.

Sorenson, S.K., and Schwarzbach, S.E., 1991, Reconnaissance investigation of water quality, bottom sediment, and biota associated with irrigation drainage in the Klamath Basin, California and Oregon, 1988-89: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 90-4203, 64. p.

Sorenson, S.K., and Schwarzbach, S.E., 1989, Department of Interior Irrigation Drainage Program reconnaissance study of Klamath Basin refuge areas, California and Oregon: (abs.) in Pederson, G.L., and Smith, M.M. compilers, U.S. Geological Survey Second National Symposium on Water Quality: Abstracts of the Technical Sessions, Orlando, Florida, November 12-17, 1989; U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 89-409, p. 94.