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 Douglas County Circuit Court against …
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 and polluting the North Umpqua …
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 into the river, putting down …
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 10 water quality certifications for …
State Seeks $27.6 Million from Winchester Dam Owners After Summer Repair Work
By Erik Neumann | Oct. 6, 2023 | Jefferson Public Radio Oregon is suing for more than $27 million in damages from the owners of a private dam near Roseburg after repairs led to a massive fish kill. More than half a million Pacific lamprey died during repairs at the Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River. The lawsuit, filed …
After Fish Kill, a Search for Accountability at Winchester Dam
By Jane Vaughan | Sept. 27, 2023 | Jefferson Public Radio Dam repair work on the North Umpqua River in August and early September led to hundreds of thousands of lamprey dying. There are now questions about accountability for the repair work that was done at the Winchester Dam near Roseburg. Representatives from the Oregon Water Resources Department, Oregon Department …
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 of Indians walked along the …
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 the first time since the …
WaterWatch Challenges Willamette Water Temperature Plan
Oct. 10, 2021 WaterWatch of Oregon is challenging state approval of a plan to dampen the water-temperature impact of a $1.3 billion municipal water withdrawal project on the Willamette River. WaterWatch is asking the Multnomah County Circuit Court to overturn or re-evaluate a decision by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approving a “Thermal Trading Plan” to offset the …