Klamath Basin - Wood River

Restoring Water Quality and Habitat in the Klamath Basin

Over the past sixty years, 30,000 acres of wetlands in the Klamath River basin have been leveed and drained for agriculture, degrading water quality and threatening native fish species.

In one of largest river restoration projects in the West, ALC worked with landowners in the Klamath River basin to acquire 3,200 acres of former marshlands at the northern shore of Agency Lake. Algae blooms--the result of runoff from cattle grazing--had choked both Agency and Upper Klamath lakes.

The Bureau of Land Management restored the marshlands, thereby improving water quality in the lake. As a result, mule deer, elk, bald eagles, waterfowl, rainbow and brown trout and other native fish are thriving again. Three miles of the nearby Wood River, which had been straightened and rip-rapped for flood control, also were restored, offering excellent birding, fishing, and duck hunting.

To learn more about Wood River restoration efforts, visit the U.S. Geological Survey.

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