Yurok Tribe et al v. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation et al

  1. April 18, 2023

    Klamath River Irrigation Must Go On, Feds Tell Court

    The U.S. government and agricultural groups have asked a California federal judge to deny a Native American tribe and fishing group's request that no Klamath River water be delivered for irrigation unless steps are taken to ensure the protection of coho salmon and killer whales.

  2. March 29, 2023

    Calif. Tribe, Fisherman Sue Feds Over Water Levels

    A California-based Native American tribe and fishing groups have lodged a new complaint against the federal government over its administration of the Klamath River in California and Oregon, alleging the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's new operating plan will jeopardize the fish upon which the tribe and fishermen depend.

  3. February 06, 2023

    ESA Blocks Ore. Klamath River Rule, Judge Finds

    A California federal judge on Monday ruled that an order by the Oregon Water Resources Department blocking water releases from the Upper Klamath Lake is barred by the Endangered Species Act, handing a win to the federal government, the Yurok Tribe and fishing groups, which have pushed for the water releases to fulfill ESA obligations. 

  4. November 29, 2022

    Dam Removal Unlikely To Alter Irrigation Suit, Tribe Atty Says

    The destruction of four hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River in California, approved this month by federal regulators, is unlikely to affect litigation over a massive irrigation system upstream, according to a lawyer for the Hoopa Valley Tribe, who hailed the dam removal plans but warned that demolition is just a start in the fight for water rights.

  5. November 16, 2022

    Oregon Utility Gets Tribe Added To Water Rights Suit

    A California federal judge has added a Northern California tribe that has sought to protect its federally reserved water and fishing rights as party to litigation over the allocation of water from the federally owned Klamath Project in Oregon.

  6. October 27, 2022

    Ore. Utility Says Tribe Must Be Added To Water Rights Suit

    An irrigation utility in charge of distributing water from the federally owned Klamath Project in Oregon says that, following a Ninth Circuit ruling last month, litigation over the proper allocation of such resources must be dismissed unless a northern California tribe can intervene.

  7. October 12, 2022

    Farming Group Says Tribe's Water Rights Are Fair Game

    A California federal judge should consider all arguments, including those related to tribal water rights, put forward by a farming interest group in a summary judgment ruling on yearslong litigation over water releases from Upper Klamath Lake, the Oregon-based Klamath Water Users Association said Tuesday.

  8. September 16, 2022

    Calif. Says Lake Discharge Needed To Protect At-Risk Species

    California has weighed in on a dispute over the U.S. government's authority to regularly release water from Upper Klamath Lake, in southern Oregon, arguing that the discharges are lawful because they help protect at-risk salmon and an endangered population of killer whales.

  9. June 01, 2022

    Feds Seek Win In Oregon Endangered Salmon Fight

    The U.S. government has asked a California federal judge to toss part of its legal battle against Oregon and the Yurok Tribe over endangered salmon, saying the state doesn't have the authority to order the U.S. to stop releasing water from the Upper Klamath Lake.

  10. April 08, 2022

    Oregon Wants Federal Gov't To Stop Stored Water Releases

    The state of Oregon wants to force the U.S. government either to stop releasing stored water from a reservoir in southern Oregon, or to prove why those water releases are necessary to comply with the Endangered Species Act.