The Long Road to a 2009 Dam Removal

WaterWatch and others have worked for over two decades to secure removal of Savage Rapids Dam. On-the-ground work to remove the dam started in 2007! It has been an exciting but long road - from WaterWatch’s initial water right protest, to working with the Grants Pass Irrigation District regarding irrigation pumps, to working with Congress to secure funding for pumps and removal of the dam.  The dam is scheduled to come out in 2009.  Read a history of the effort to remove Savage Rapids Dam here (pdf).

_{Dam removal work began in October, 2006 with the installation of irrigation pumping plants that will be used instead of the dam to supply irrigation water. Photo courtesy of US Bureau of Reclamation.}

In 2001, WaterWatch spearheaded an agreement to have Savage Rapids Dam removed from the Rogue River. In 2004, federal legislation was passed authorizing the Bureau of Reclamation to install pumps and remove the dam. Oregon's congressional delegation and Governor Kulongoski helped secure $13 million for 2007's work and $15 million in the President's 2008 budget for the project. On-the ground work on the pumping plants that will replace the dam began in October of 2006.

Left to right: Savage Rapids Dam during removal (looking upstream) and the former site of the dam immediately after breaching (looking downstream). Photos courtesy of the Bureau of Reclamation

Savage Rapids Dam: the Biggest Fish-Killer on the Rogue

Savage Rapids Dam was a 39-foot high, 500-foot long diversion dam that spanned the mainstem of Oregon's Rogue River. The dam's fish ladders and screens did not meet current standards, and at times the dam completely blocked upstream fish passage. The dam has long been considered the biggest fish killer on the Rogue.

The dam, located at river mile 107, impacted 500 miles of upstream salmon and steelhead spawning habitat, including 50 mainstem miles.

The dam negatively impacted adult spring chinook salmon, which spawn exclusively upstream of the dam, and impeded passage for four other runs of salmon and steelhead, including threatened coho salmon. Additionally, many juvenile fish headed downstream died as a result of the dam's aging diversion structures and primitive fish screens.

Benefits of Removal

Removing Savage Rapids Dam will provide important benefits for the Rogue River, local economies, including:

• 114,000 (estimated) additional adult salmon and steelhead in the Rogue River
• $5 million/year in additional economic activity for local economies
• Removal of a major barrier to fish passage and to boating on the Rogue River
• Permanent protection of significant streamflows in the Rogue River
  

What’s Next?

Construction of the pumping plant to replace the dam's water diversion function began in the summer of 2008.  In April 2009, construction of the coffer dam began.  Removal of Savage Rapids Dam was completed in October 2009.  WaterWatch is working with Oregon to transfer a water right associated with the dam instream to protect streamflows in the Rogue River. To be kept informed about progress, please sign up for our email alert network, Riveraction.
 

Thank You!

WaterWatch extends a sincere thank you to all of our members who helped on this campaign, and to all of the other groups we have worked with along the way. WaterWatch also thanks Oregon's congressional delegation and Governor Kulongoski for securing funding for this important salmon conservation project.