Fish advocate: Rogue’s new route ‘pretty darn thrilling’ By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune October 09, 2009 From a bird’s-eye perch atop a catwalk downstream from what once was Savage Rapids Dam, the man wild salmon advocates credit for getting the fish-killing span out of the Rogue River stood awed this morning. WaterWatch attorney Bob Hunter, […]
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Reservoir drainage begins By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune October 02, 2009 Savage Rapids Dam removal enters its final stages, to the benefit of salmon and water-sports enthusiasts ROGUE RIVER — The beginning of the end for what’s left of Savage Rapids Dam and the lake behind it begins this morning as contractors make final preparations
By Mark Freeman | Sept. 14, 2009 | Medford Mail-Tribune Budgets, timetables on par with deadline to take out the structure. Five contractors have told Jackson County they can complete the necessary environmental assessments and remove Gold Ray Dam from the Rogue River within budget and in time to meet the county’s needs. The companies
Removal of Oregon Dam Allows Reopening of 500 Miles of Salmon Spawning Habitat By Tom Alkire Bureau of National Affairs October 14, 2009 Source: Daily Environment Report: All Issues > 2009 > October > 10/14/2009 > News > Endangered Species: Removal of Oregon Dam Allows Reopening Of 500 Miles of Salmon Spawning Habitat PORTLAND,
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The Klamath River: Will dam removal be enough to help fish? By Bob Hunter and Ani Kame’enui Oregonian September 09, 2009 In a few short weeks, Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River in southern Oregon will be no more. The demolition of this concrete barrier, long recognized as the biggest fish killer on the
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GPID transfers power right to instream water right for site of Savage Rapids Dam By Amy Sienicki KDRV News Watch 12 August 14, 2009 GRANTS PASS, Ore. – The Grants Pass Irrigation District has agreed to transfer its power right for the site of the Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River to an instream
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Sediment tests aid removal of Gold Ray Dam By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune August 07, 2009 GOLD HILL — Efforts to remove Gold Ray Dam from the Rogue River took a leap forward this week when preliminary results showed no troublesome levels of contaminants in the sediment behind the structure. In a report expected to
Bids go out for Gold Ray Dam removal By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune July 24, 2009 If a December 2010 deadline is missed, Jackson County could lose out on a $5 million grant Jackson County officials say they will know in four weeks whether Gold Ray Dam can be removed from the Rogue River by
Scientists test sediment behind dam By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune July 15, 2009 GOLD HILL — A 7-foot tube of gooey muck stuck for decades behind 105-year-old Gold Ray Dam is splayed out Tuesday before geologist Bill Elliott, and the mud-loving kid inside the Southern Oregon University professor all but takes over. Elliott’s gloved hands
Our View: Water bill looms as accomplishment for ’09 Legislature By Editorial East Oregonian July 14, 2009 Gov. Ted Kulongoski has yet to sign House Bill 3369, but it looks like he will in the next week or two. That should be like the sound of running water to a parched pilgrim. It means
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Fishy stimulus money By High Five “Today’s Must-Reads” Oregon Business Magazine July 06, 2009 The U.S. Commerce Secretary has announced that Oregon will be receiving $7.3 million in stimulus funds. The money is designated for tearing down a Rogue River dam and restoring a salmon habitat, among other things. The money is part of
Making the river wild again By Opinion Mail Tribune July 03, 2009 A federal grant will help remove Gold Ray Dam, but the clock is ticking Jackson County leaders have a golden opportunity and a big challenge: Move quickly to take down Gold Ray Dam before the clock runs out on federal stimulus money awarded
Dissecting the Klamath By Steve Pedery Fly Fisherman Magazine July 01, 2009 Dissecting-the-Klamath-Fly-Fisherman-Mag-July-09
Riffles: Saving the Klamath Basin Ecosystem By John Randolph Fly Fisherman Magazine July 01, 2009 Riffles-Fly-Fisherman-Mag-July-09
$5 million made available for taking out Gold Ray Dam By Paul Fattig Mail Tribune July 01, 2009 The federal stimulus money has to be used by December 2010, even though Jackson County hasn’t decided the dam’s fate yet Uncle Sam has unleashed $5 million in federal stimulus funds to remove 105-year-old Gold Ray Dam
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Stimulus money to fund possible Gold Ray Dam removal By Ron Brown & Associated Press KDRV News Watch 12 July 01, 2009 GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Jackson County officials announced Tuesday that they’ve received $5 million to complete studies on the pros and cons of removing the Rogue River’s Gold Ray Dam, a defunct
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Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Announces $167 Million in Recovery Act Funding for 50 Coastal Restoration Projects National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration June 30, 2009 Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced today 50 habitat restoration projects that will restore damaged wetlands, shellfish beds, coral reefs and reopen fish passages that boost the health and resiliency of our
Stimulus money pays for Rogue River dam removal Associated Press June 30, 2009 GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – Federal stimulus money will pay for removal of another dam from the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon, adding to a string of dam removals designed to help salmon and steelhead. Commerce Sec. Gary Locke announced Tuesday that
Savage Rapids Lesson: Removing Dams No Easy Task By Jessica Robinson OPB News/Jefferson Public Radio June 24, 2009 After two decades of conflict, crews are finally jackhammering the Savage Rapids Dam into oblivion. The southern Oregon dam on the Rogue River doesn’t even produce electricity. Yet, removing it proved complicated and controversial. Efforts to return
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Aquifer recharge bill advances to Ways and Means Committee By Mitch Lies Capital Press June 23, 2009 SALEM – A legislative committee on Monday, June 22, moved a multi-part bill that could improve groundwater supplies in the Umatilla Basin and help the state develop a statewide water management plan. “This is a piece of work
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Savage Rapids Dam deconstruction takes break for fish Associated Press June 22, 2009 GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – Workers taking apart a dam on the Rogue River in Southern Oregon say they’re at the end of the first part of the work. Now, they will give the spring and fall chinook salmon a chance to
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Bills to protect environment derailed by finances By Beth Casper and Stefanie Knowlton Statesman Journal June 15, 2009 Only a few proposals make it out of committee Even with a Democratic majority and support from the governor, environmental legislation this session couldn’t contend with the state’s economic woes. A carbon cap-and-trade bill, Senate Bill
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Big rigs ripping out concrete By Jeff Duewel Daily Courier June 09, 2009 A $6,000-a day hydraulic shear chewed through iron rebar and a hoe ram punched holes in concrete that held back the Rogue River for 88 years, as demolition of one side of Savage Rapids Dam entered full swing Tuesday morning. “We
Say goodbye to the Savage Rapids Dam By Staff KATU June 09, 2009 Watch the video (external link) NEAR GRANTS PASS, Ore. – A big demolition project is under way in southern Oregon to try to get a river to flow free again. Savage Rapids Dam, located 107 miles from the ocean, is the first
Savage Rapids Dam demolition update By Ron Brown News Watch 12 June 08, 2009 View Video (external link) NEAR GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Contractors broke through the first section of the nearly 90-year old concrete Savage Rapids Dam Monday. According to the Bureau of Reclamation’s website, the concrete on the top half of
Audio: The Econews Report By Greg King KHSU-FM 90.5, Econews Report June 04, 2009 Listen to Greg King’s interview with Bob Hunter
Demolition of Savage Rapids Dam begins By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune June 03, 2009 Jackhammers break away part of one concrete bay on Monday ROGUE RIVER — Construction crews this week are literally doing to Savage Rapids Dam what wild salmon advocates have been doing figuratively for decades — punching holes in the Rogue
’09 Legislature enters homestretch, and region is watching By Nick Budnick Bend Bulletin June 03, 2009 What’s left As the 2009 session nears its end, local officials and others are tracking several bills that could affect Central Oregon, including: • HB 3100: Metolius destination resort ban • HB 2227: Destination resort limits in Deschutes •
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ENVIRONMENT-US: Free-Flowing Rivers Back in Vogue By Matthew Berger Inter Press Service May 26, 2009 NE W YORK, May 26 (IPS) – It may come as no surprise that a dam impeding the flow of a major river would negatively impact fish populations, but it is only recently that benefits of free-flowing rivers in the
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Upper Klamath water rights issue settled By John Driscoll The Times-Standard May 22, 2009 One of the most contested issues between irrigators and American Indian tribes in the Upper Klamath Basin has effectively been resolved, potentially simplifying talks on a much larger dam removal and restoration deal. On Thursday, Klamath water users and the Klamath
GPID flips switch on new pumps By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier May 12, 2009 For the first time in 89 years, the Grants Pass Irrigation District has begun delivering water from something other than Savage Rapids Dam. Switches were flipped on six pumps Monday, pushing water into the Gravity, South Highline and
Removal of Rogue dam spells end of bitter battle By Jeff Barnard AP April 07, 2009 GRANTS PASS, Ore.—Within weeks, jackhammers will start knocking Savage Rapids Dam into rubble, and with it two decades of bitter battles over whether to keep what had become a crumbling symbol of a bygone era when rugged pioneers
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Water fight brewing By Nick Budnick Bend Bulletin April 06, 2009 Diverting water from the Deschutes into Tumalo Reservoir would help meet future demand and make it ‘hugely cheaper’ to pump groundwater, say the plan’s backers. Opponents argue the proposal flies in the face of existing regulations. Challenging the widely held view that all the
Water-management bills debated By Stefanie Knowlton Statesman Journal April 04, 2009 Proposed cuts to key department dampen discussion and plans Environmentalists to water providers debated the future of water in Oregon last week during public hearings, work sessions and budget talks. Looming over every water conversation were proposed 30 percent cuts to the Water Resources
Beginning of end for landmark dam By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier April 03, 2009 The removal of Savage Rapids Dam begins in earnest next week, when Slayden Construction begins building a 26-foot-tall coffer dam to reroute the Rogue River away from demolition of the north side of the dam. The 88-year-old dam on
Another Dam Bites the Dust By Dennis Newman Natural Oregon April 02, 2009 Derided by environmentalists as a “fish killer”, next week marks the beginning of the end for Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River near Grants Pass. After it’s gone, almost 126 miles of the Rogue will be free flowing. It starts
Legislative “Odd Couple” Tackles Water Issues By Chris Lehman Oregon Public Broadcasting March 26, 2009 One of Mark Twain’s many famous quotes is: “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over.” Nowhere is that more true than in the west. The Oregon Legislature has spent the better part of its history untangling fights
Stimulus spurs county on Gold Ray Dam removal By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune March 22, 2009 Jackson County officials plan to seek $5 million from the federal stimulus package to help fast-track the possible removal of 105-year-old Gold Ray Dam from the Rogue River as early as the summer of 2010. 100 years of
Rough debut for Columbia water bill By Mitch Lies Capital Press February 19, 2009 SALEM – It was, as John DeVoe of WaterWatch said, deja vu all over again in a House committee hearing Tuesday, Feb. 17, on a bill calling for summer water withdrawals from the Columbia River. Many of the same players
Senate OKs surcharge for Klamath dam removal By Matt Preusch and Ted Sickinger Oregonian February 17, 2009 The Oregon Senate passed a bill Tuesday to pay for removing four Klamath River dams with a 2 percent surcharge on the Oregon ratepayers of Pacific Power. Senate Bill 76 was approved 18-12 on largely partisan lines
