Friday, Dec 16 2011 8:10PM

An administrative law judge recently affirmed the water rights of the Klamath Tribes in Oregon, upholding their claim to six large bodies of water in the area after 36 years of dispute.

Eight water bodies have been disputed, with decisions on the other two expected in April 2012. The judge's decision in the Klamath Basin Adjudication recognizes claims the Klamath Tribes have made on water in their homeland area, affecting the Klamath Treaty of 1864.

The proceedings were initiated in 1974 by the Oregon Department of Water Resources to determine who has the legal rights to surface water in the Basin, as well as quantify those rights, since the disposition affects water system services and resource use.

"The rulings award enough water to restore habitat throughout the river basin; and this not only protects the tribal way of life, but may also propel the Klamath Tribes' water settlement legislation recently introduced in Congress to provide sustainable water use for all basin water users," said counsel attorney Walter Echo-Hawk Jr., who served on the tribes' litigation team.

The tribes, according to the local Herald and News, have voiced concerns over the long-term disposition of the area's water resources. They and other parties contend that the best solution is the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, a proposal in which tribes would make some water rights concessions in exchange for acquiring the nearby Mazama Tree Farm.

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