ODFW

Oregon Water Partnership Recognizes Progress in 2024 Legislative Session

March 20, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ahead of World Water Day, Oregon Water Partnership Recognizes Progress in 2024 Legislative Session Coalition applauds Legislature’s attention to important water issues during 32-day “short session.”  Salem, Oregon — The Oregon Water Partnership (OWP) applauds the Oregon Legislature’s attention to important water issues during the 32-day “short session,” including […]

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Disastrous Dam Repair on North Umpqua Sparks Massive Fish Kill, Pollution Spills, State Senate Inquiry, and $27.6 Million Fine

By Jim McCarthy  |  Oct. 30, 2023  |  The Osprey At least 550,000 juvenile Pacific lamprey were killed this summer due to the botched repair of Winchester Dam on Oregon’s North Umpqua River. On October 6th, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) filed a $27.6 million claim for recovery of damages in the

Disastrous Dam Repair on North Umpqua Sparks Massive Fish Kill, Pollution Spills, State Senate Inquiry, and $27.6 Million Fine Read More »

Southern Oregon Dam Operators Now Face Water Pollution Fines on Top of Millions for Fish Kills

By Alex Baumhardt  |  Oct. 27, 2023  |  Oregon Capital Chronicle The operators of Winchester Dam in Oregon face more than $134,000 in fines for water violations on top of $27.6 million for killing lamprey. The operators of a southern Oregon dam and the company that repaired it face additional fines for violating state permits

Southern Oregon Dam Operators Now Face Water Pollution Fines on Top of Millions for Fish Kills Read More »

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

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

$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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Second Rogue Basin Dam Removal Project in One Year Nears Completion Read More »

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,

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

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

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

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

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

Urgent Groundwater Reforms Needed for a Sustainable Water Future

By WaterWatch Staff  |  April 5, 2022  |  Instream WaterWatch works across Oregon in administrative, collaborative, legislative and legal forums to advocate for reforms needed to secure sustainable groundwater management. WaterWatch has identified five critical and urgent reforms needed to put Oregon on a course to manage groundwater sustainably: 1  —  Stop issuing permits without

Urgent Groundwater Reforms Needed for a Sustainable Water Future Read More »

Oregon’s Lake Abert is “In Deep Trouble.” The State Shut Down Its Effort to Figure Out Why

By Rob Davis  |  Jan. 16, 2022  |  The Oregonian When Oregon’s only saltwater lake mysteriously dried up in 2014, turning a vibrant landscape teeming with migratory birds into a desiccated, abandoned salt pan, state environmental regulators mobilized. Lake Abert, a 64-square-mile lake in south central Oregon’s high desert, had gone almost completely dry for

Oregon’s Lake Abert is “In Deep Trouble.” The State Shut Down Its Effort to Figure Out Why Read More »

Last Chance – Please help Oregon’s rivers now and in the future by showing your support for the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Water Program! 

Last Chance – Please help Oregon’s rivers now and in the future by showing your support for the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Water Program!  Just a friendly reminder that ODFW is currently in the process of developing its 2019-2021 budget request. Today, May 1, is the last chance to submit written comments.  Please send in

Last Chance – Please help Oregon’s rivers now and in the future by showing your support for the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Water Program!  Read More »

‘Mitigation banking’

‘Mitigation banking’ Project would allow smaller fish-habitat improvements to slide in favor of bigger returns By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune August 2, 2015 State fish managers hope a new, big-picture approach to fixing fish-passage barriers by bypassing otherwise required work on some bridges and culverts in favor of larger barriers will generate greater benefits for

‘Mitigation banking’ Read More »