In this August 2021 file photo, pump servicers with TW Wells get a water well outside Klamath Falls running again. Hundreds of residential wells in Klamath County have run dry during the region's third year in a drought emergency.
JPR News
Klamath County faces a third year of drought emergency. One consequence of that: hundreds of residential wells have gone dry. The state has stepped in to provide emergency relief funding to truck in water.
Kelley Minty Morris, the chair of the Klamath County Board of Commissioners, said recent rain and snow haven’t helped enough.
“What was disheartening is that we still have not climbed our way out of the emergency response,” she said. “So not only did we continue to have wells that didn’t recharge, but then in 2022, we’ve had a significant number of new complaints. So we have been in emergency response mode since July of last year.”
Minty Morris said that the emergency funding will run through the end of 2023. In the meantime, residents are working to deepen their wells. But, waitlists are long and fixing the issue has proved to be a slow process.
Minty Morris spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller about the issue. Click play to listen to the full conversation:
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