Oregon Public Broadcasting

Federal officials told Klamath farmers Friday that they'll start getting water for their crops in a week.

Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports.

Every year, the federal government targets April First as the date to start releasing water from Upper Klamath Lake.

But, sometimes, because threatened species need high levels of water, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation can’t release the water until later.

Unexpectedly high water levels in March, probably from new snow and rain, means federal water for farmers will start flowing on April 10.

Kevin Moore: “They open a gate into the irrigation canals, and the water begins to slowly flow into the canal, and fill it up.”

Kevin Moore is a spokesman for the Bureau of Reclamation in Klamath Falls.

It can take two weeks for the canals to completely fill up.

Kevin Moore: “Everything right now points that we’ll be able to supply the water that these irrigators need without interruption. But of course, the Klamath is very hard to predict.”

Farmers and ranchers usually finish using their water by November.