Yurok Tribe asks judge to block irrigation-first policy for Klamath Project

On Friday, the Yurok Tribe and other plaintiffs sought a San Francisco federal court order to reverse a Trump-era policy that gave irrigation water priority over endangered salmon in the Klamath Basin. Earthjustice lawyer Patti Goldman said the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation altered its water-release plan without the required input from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or NOAA Fisheries, breaching the Endangered Species Act.

Judge William Orrick, who earlier affirmed the bureau’s ESA obligations, did not reveal his tentative stance but expressed uncertainty about jurisdiction over the claims. The bureau explained that it lowered Klamath River flows from early March to mid-May due to historically low snowpack and to safeguard summer water supplies. Justice Department attorney John Martin countered that the plaintiffs have not demonstrated that the reduced spring flows have damaged salmon habitat, noting ongoing uncertainty after the recent removal of two dams on the river. The case follows a Ninth Circuit ruling that reaffirmed the bureau’s duty to comply with the ESA when operating the irrigation system.