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The River Rambler Episode 103 – The Winchester Dam

WaterWatch and Native Fish Society were on the River Rambler podcast released this week to discuss the Winchester Dam campaign and the ongoing ecological disaster there related to the repairs. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-103-the-winchester-dam/id1464082938?i=1000625264719

River Advocates Warn of Another Possible Fish Kill Triggered by Winchester Dam Repairs

Aug. 15, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information please contact: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, (541) 941-9450, jim@waterwatch.org Kirk Blaine, Native Fish Society, (307) 299-7834, kirk@nativefishsociety.org River Advocates Warn of Another Possible Fish Kill Triggered by Winchester Dam Repairs Some of the North Umpqua’s last few summer steelhead face lethal combination of closed access to upstream cold water habitat, low …

Winchester Dam Repairs Spark Massive Pacific Lamprey Kill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, 541-941-9450, jim@waterwatch.org Kirk Blaine, Native Fish Society, 307-299-7834, kirk@nativefishsociety.org Winchester Dam Repairs Spark Massive Pacific Lamprey Kill Public Officials Launch Emergency Effort After Private Dam Owners Fail to Adequately Rescue Aquatic Life Stranded by Reservoir Dewatering Winchester, OR – This week, officials from state, federal, and tribal …

Winchester Dam Repairs Begin Despite Permitting Irregularities, Collapsing Summer Steelhead Run, and Fears of Another Fish Kill

MEDIA ADVISORY: August 3, 2023 FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, 541-941-9450, jim@waterwatch.org Kirk Blaine, Native Fish Society, 307-299-7834, kirk@nativefishsociety.org Winchester Dam Repairs Begin Despite Permitting Irregularities, Collapsing Summer Steelhead Run, and Fears of Another Fish Kill 2023 Repair at Dam First Since Botched 2018 Attempt Caused Fish Kill and Polluted Drinking Water Supply for 37,000 …

Fifth Dam Removal Completed in Three Years in Rogue River’s Applegate Subbasin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 1, 2023 Contacts: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, 541-941-9450 Brian Barr, Rogue River Watershed Council, 541-621-7226 Lovelace Dam before and after removal images here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10yy_85rArFqfelSvOzBctctRWCZGCVvq Photo credit Rogue River Watershed Council Fifth Dam Removal Completed in Three Years in Rogue River’s Applegate Subbasin Collaborative effort benefits salmon and steelhead, increases resiliency to climate change Wilderville – …

River Action Alert: Take a survey to help Oregon’s rivers!

Please lend your voice to the water needs of rivers, fish, wildlife and people who depend on healthy rivers as part of Oregon’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) update! Oregon’s Kitchen Table has opened a survey to help the state better understand what water issues are important to Oregonians. This information will help shape the next iteration of the Integrated …

River Action Alert: Speak up for rivers and fish in Oregon’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy update!

Please lend your voice to the water needs of rivers and fish as part of Oregon’s Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) update! The Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) is Oregon’s blueprint for meeting both instream and out-of-stream needs. This strategy is critically important in shaping policies, programs, and budgets for multiple state agencies. First published in 2012, the IWRS must be …

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Removal of the Gold Hill Dam

Craig Harper of the Rogue Valley Council of Governments explains why the water diversion dam was removed in July 2008 from the Rogue River. https://youtu.be/U4mfSflSVGo

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Elk Creek Dam demolition

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers video shows an explosion Tuesday, July 15, 2008, that begins demolition of Elk Creek Dam in Southern Oregon. The Pulitzer Prize winning Mail Tribune is one of the oldest and most trusted newspaper organizations in Oregon. Based in Medford, OR, we cover Southern Oregon’s breaking news, local news, sports, politics, and all the important …

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The Removal of Savage Rapids Dam

The Savage Rapids Dam built by the Grants Pass irrigation District in 1921 was designed to deliver Rogue River water to the fields of local farmers; It did not offer water retention, electrical creation, or flood control. Because the age of the dam was leading to costly replacement issues and its disruption of adult and juvenile fish passage caused local …

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Rogue River Dam Removals

WaterWatch of Oregon began a campaign 20 years ago to improve fish passage on the Rogue River in Southwest Oregon. Through WaterWatch’s efforts four dams have been removed: Savage Rapids Dam, Gold Hill Dam, Gold Ray Dam, and Elk Creek Dam. https://youtu.be/VLOUgDoD6ek

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2015 Wimer Dam Removal

Removal of the Wimer Dam on Evans Creek, Oregon to enhance fish passage and river connectivity. Spearheaded by WaterWatch and Geos Institute in cooperation with the landowner. Engineering by River Design Group and dam removed by Staton Companies. https://vimeo.com/135754205

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Ongoing Harm at Winchester Dam

WaterWatch captured this video of migrating salmon jumping repeatedly at false attraction flows gushing through the poorly maintained face of Winchester Dam. There are many such holes through the dam’s face and under its foundation. The delayed fish in this video risk injury and death when falling back on areas of eroded concrete, exposed rebar, and other hazards. They may …

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Meet the WaterWatch Staff!

Several of WaterWatch’s program staff discuss what drives them in their work in this video that premiered at the 2020 WaterWatch Celebration of Oregon Rivers. https://youtu.be/Cx65RGUav_Y

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Jim McCarthy speaks on the Klamath Basin OPB

An OPB Audio Story Featuring WaterWatch Southern Oregon Program Director Jim McCarthy. “Klamath Basin drought: Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex” 7.13.21 https://www.opb.org/article/2021/07/13/klamath-basin-drought-klamath-basin-national-wildlife-refuge-complex/?fbclid=IwAR1bBFzbxDUOpMJbcgwiEQEkg7g_vilEQfVYu9rTJdRSlst-cuTPjFn7tC4

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Lisa Brown speaks on Summer Lake NPR

An NPR Audio Story Featuring WaterWatch Staff Attorney Lisa Brown. “Encore: A vital lake in Oregon, around for eons, could run dry within a generation” 4.11.22 https://www.npr.org/2022/04/11/1092117495/encore-a-vital-lake-in-oregon-around-for-eons-could-run-dry-within-a-generation

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Largest Dam Removal in US History Set to Begin

By BO EVANS | EW Scripps | bo.evans@scripps.com HORNBROOK, Calif. — The Iron Gate Dam, one of four dams on the Klamath River, will be removed in 2023. It will be the largest dam removal in U.S. history. For Pachomio Feliz, the waters of the Klamath River and Pacific are life. He’s a member of the Yurok Tribe. “This is …

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Big tech data centers spark worry over scarce Western water

By ANDREW SELSKY and MANUEL VALDES THE DALLES, Ore. (AP) — Conflicts over water are as old as history itself, but the massive Google data centers on the edge of this Oregon town on the Columbia River represent an emerging 21st century concern. Now a critical part of modern computing, data centers help people stream movies on Netflix, conduct transactions …

Three Priority Dam Removals Completed in Rogue’s Applegate Subbasin

For Immediate Release October 13, 2021   Contacts: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, 541-941-9450 Brian Barr, Rogue River Watershed Council, 541-621-7226   Harboldt Dam before and after removal images here: https://tinyurl.com/eaz9kswe Photo credit Crystal Nichols, Rogue River Watershed Council   Three Priority Dam Removals Completed in Rogue’s Applegate Subbasin Collaborative project benefits salmon and steelhead while meeting private land use needs   Wilderville …

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Environmental coalition demands state reject proposed Easterday Dairy

By Bryce Dole | East Oregonian | August 26, 2021 BOARDMAN — A coalition of environmental groups is calling on Gov. Kate Brown to reject a permit application for the proposed Easterday dairy in Boardman. In a press conference Tuesday, Aug. 24, leaders from the Stand Up for Factory Farms Coalition said the dairy will exacerbate a variety of environmental …