Oregon Fines Winchester Dam Owners $134,000 for Water Quality Violations

By Zach Urness  |  Oct. 26, 2023  |  Salem Statesman Journal The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued fines totaling over $134,000 against the operators of Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River outside Roseburg on Thursday for water quality violations. DEQ fined Winchester Water Control District and TerraFirma Foundation Repair Inc. for discharging concrete […]

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DEQ Fines Winchester Dam Owners for Water Violations from Dam Repair

By Taylar Ansures  |  Oct. 26, 2023  |  KOBI News The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued two enforcement orders for the Winchester Water Control District and contractor TerraFirma for violations that happened during Winchester Dam repairs over the summer. According to DEQ, Winchester Water Control District is being fined $106,778 for violating at least

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Oregon Announces More Fines Over Botched 2023 Winchester Dam Repairs

Oct. 26, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information please contact: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, jim@waterwatch.org Kirk Blaine, Native Fish Society, kirk@nativefishsociety.org Tommy Hough, WaterWatch of Oregon, tommy@waterwatch.org Oregon Announces More Fines Over Botched 2023 Winchester Dam Repairs Second water quality enforcement action in three years against North Umpqua’s biggest fish killer. Winchester, Oregon 

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Inside Poland Spring’s Hidden Attack on Water Rules It Didn’t Like

By Hiroko Tabuchi  |  Oct. 24, 2023  |  New York Times When Maine lawmakers tried to rein in large-scale access to the state’s freshwater this year, the effort initially gained momentum. The state had just emerged from drought, and many Mainers were sympathetic to protecting their snow-fed lakes and streams. Then a Wall Street-backed giant

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State Signals It’s Likely to Deny Redmond’s Application for Future Groundwater

By Joe Siess and Tim Trainor  |  Oct. 16, 2023  |  Redmond Spokesman The state, which has proposed new rules to Oregon’s groundwater permitting process, has signaled the city of Redmond’s application for a future groundwater permit would likely be denied. The Oregon Water Resources Department is reviewing the city’s application and taking a second

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$27.6 Million Lawsuit Filed for Lamprey Loss During Winchester Dam Repairs

By Gloria Coleman | Oct. 7, 2023 | Roseburg News-Review The Winchester Water Control District and associated contractors are facing a more than $27.5 million claim, which was filed Friday in Douglas County Circuit Court, for their role in the loss of juvenile Pacific lamprey during recent repairs of the Winchester Dam. “The number of

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Oregon Demands $28 Million for Massive Fish Kill and Water Violations at Winchester Dam

By Alanna Mayham  |  Oct. 6, 2023  |  Courthouse News The multimillion-dollar claim by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on Friday arrives after weeks of advocacy over dam repairs that killed at least 550,000 Pacific lamprey. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife issued a $27.6 million claim for recovery damages against the

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Oregon Seeks $27 Million for Dam Repair it Says Resulted in Mass Death of Pacific Lamprey Fish

By Claire Rush | Oct. 6, 2023 | Associated Press Oregon officials are seeking more than $27 million in damages over dam repairs they say killed more than half a million Pacific lamprey fish in what they’ve described as one of the largest damages claims for illegal killing of wildlife in state history. In a

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ODFW Cites “Significant and Preventable” Fish Kill in $27 Million Complaint Against Winchester Dam

Oct. 6, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Tommy Hough, tommy@waterwatch.org Jim McCarthy, jim@waterwatch.org Department of Fish and Wildlife Cites “Significant and Preventable” Fish Kill in $27 Million Complaint Against Winchester Dam Huge financial penalty among the largest issued by an Oregon state agency. Salem, Oregon  —  Citing the “significant and preventable” death of at least

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Second Rogue Basin Dam Removal Project in One Year Nears Completion

Oct. 4, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContacts:Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon Steve Soesbe, Siskiyou Field InstituteScott Wright, River Design Group Second Rogue Basin Dam Removal Project in One Year Nears Completion Collaborative effort in Illinois sub-basin benefits salmon and steelhead, increases resiliency to climate change. Selma, Oregon  —  Work crews have finished demolition of a 13-foot

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Central Oregon Cities Poke Holes in State Plans to Tighten Groundwater Rules

By Emily Cureton Cook  |  Oct. 2, 2023  |  Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon water managers are considering the most consequential water policy changes the state has seen in decades. These changes would crack down on new groundwater rights, making it more difficult for people to drill wells. Advocates say this is critical to protect the

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ODFW Official Acknowledges “Hundreds of Thousands” of Fish Deaths in Winchester Dam Disaster

Sept. 29, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information please contact: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, jim@waterwatch.org Tommy Hough, WaterWatch of Oregon, tommy@waterwatch.org Wildlife Official Acknowledges “Hundreds of Thousands” of Fish Deaths in 2023 Winchester Dam Disaster Senate committee probing whether state officials hold dam’s operations and maintenance to appropriate statutory, regulatory standards. Salem, Oregon  —  This Wednesday,

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State Considers Penalties, Fines After Umpqua River Dam Repair Kills Thousands of Fish

By Alex Baumhardt  |  Sept. 27, 2023  |  Oregon Capital Chronicle The operators and renovators of a controversial dam on the Umpqua River in southern Oregon could face state fines and civil penalties following repairs that killed hundreds of thousands of fish and resulted in environmental violations. The privately owned Winchester Dam north of Roseburg

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Harney County’s Groundwater Crisis Draws Oregon Policymakers, Private Investors

By Emily Cureton Cook  |  Sept. 27, 2023  |  Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon water regulators are poised to change how they protect overdrawn aquifers. The Oregon Water Resources Commission will consider a number of policy reforms at a two-day meeting this week in Harney County, a setting that’s become emblematic of state mismanagement of groundwater. The

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Conservation Groups Call for End to Aging Umpqua River Dam After Emergency Fish Salvage

By Alex Baumhardt  |  Sept. 18, 2023  |  Oregon Capital Chronicle The 133-year-old Winchester Dam, which essentially provides a private lake for 100 “influential” people near Roseburg, has a history of environmental violations. For two days in early August, a dozen staff from the natural resources department of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe

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Judge Finds Feds Violated Law by Favoring Irrigators in the Klamath Basin

By Alanna Mayham  |  Sept. 11, 2023  |  Courthouse News Service Monday’s order upholds the notion that irrigators’ rights come after the Bureau of Reclamation’s obligations to protected fish species and tribal rights in the Klamath Basin. A magistrate judge in Oregon sided with the Klamath Tribes on Monday in finding that the U.S. Bureau

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Agencies Extend Winchester Dam’s Harmful Shutdown of North Umpqua Salmon and Steelhead Migration

Aug. 30, 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 Agencies Extend Winchester Dam’s Harmful Shutdown of North Umpqua Salmon and Steelhead Migration New protests planned as images circulate of imperiled summer steelhead jumping futilely at dam. Winchester, OR

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Extensive Use of Tire Mats in Winchester Dam Repairs Sparks Fears of Toxic-Driven Fish Kill

Aug. 21, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information please contact: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, (541) 941-9450, jim@waterwatch.org Extensive Use of Tire Mats Use in Winchester Dam Repairs Sparks Fears of Toxic-Driven Fish Kill A compound called 6PPD-q is highly toxic to salmon and steelhead, and can kill Coho salmon within hours. Winchester, OR –

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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

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“It’s Time to Do Something:” Push is On to Replace Open-Ditch Irrigation Canals with Piping

By Shaun Hall  |  Aug. 14, 2023  |  Rogue Valley Times A big push is underway in Jackson County and Oregon to replace open-ditch irrigation canals with piping to reduce water loss through seepage and evaporation. The mission by irrigation districts to modernize aging systems comes at a time of increased state and federal funding

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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

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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

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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

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Oregon Regulators Deny Another Bid for Water at Thornburgh Resort

By Emily Cureton Cook  |  July 25, 2023  |  Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) State regulators have rejected creating new groundwater rights for a controversial destination resort under construction in Central Oregon. The proposed Thornburgh resort is seeking wells for a development near Redmond, in an area where declining groundwater levels have long raised ecological concerns and

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Historic Change: Facing Drought, Legislators Impose Water Limits on Livestock

By Kendra Chamberlain |  July 13, 2023  |  Columbia Insight Under a new law, dairy and confined cattle operations in Oregon will no longer have unlimited access to water. Large livestock operations will face stricter water rules in Oregon under a bill passed by state lawmakers earlier this year, in the wake of controversies surrounding

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