Tag: Pacific lamprey

Instream: Winchester Dam Removal Closer Than Ever as Legal Battles Continue

By Jim McCarthy In February, WaterWatch and our allies Steamboaters and Pacific Coast Federations of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) secured formal permission to participate in a state fish passage enforcement proceeding which may ultimately determine the fate of the 135-year old Winchester Dam, a privately owned former hydropower structure near Roseburg commonly known as the biggest […]

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Fishermen, Conservationists Seek Intervention in Winchester Dam Case

Feb. 10, 2025 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, please contact:Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, jim@waterwatch.org Groups’ Petition for Party Status: https://shorturl.at/xf5eZExhibit A of Petition: https://shorturl.at/ITXd7Exhibit B of Petition: https://shorturl.at/lBVyOExhibit C of Petition: https://shorturl.at/dYf6i Fishermen, Conservationists Seek Intervention in Winchester Dam CaseSalmon, steelhead, and livelihoods at stake in case over dam’s outdated passage facilities. Winchester,

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Rogue River Basin’s Highest Priority Barrier to Native Fish Comes Down

Nov. 26, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information, please contact:Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, jim@waterwatch.orgScott Wright, River Design Group/SWCA Environmental Consultants, scott.wright@swca.com Pomeroy Dam, West Side Road culverts before and after images here:https://tinyurl.com/3ebb76cmPlease credit photos to Crystal Nichols/Dustin Saigo Rogue River Basin’s Highest Priority Barrier to Native Fish Comes DownOngoing multi-barrier collaborative effort benefits salmon

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Oregon Justices Hear Appeal from Farmers Who Want to Build a Dam on Drift Creek

By Bill Poehler | Nov. 8, 2024 | Salem Statesman Journal Oregon Supreme Court justices Thursday heard an appeal of a ruling denying a water right to a group of farmers in Marion and Clackamas counties who want to build a dam on a creek where cutthroat trout spawn. The lawyer for the East Valley

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WaterWatch Continues to Fight for Oregon Rivers

Nov. 7, 2024 WaterWatch of Oregon was at the Oregon Supreme Court today for oral arguments to defend our victory last year at the Court of Appeals on an instream water right on Drift Creek, a tributary of the Pudding and Molalla rivers. These arguments are the latest in a case dating back to 2014, when

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Instream: Klamath River Hydro Complex Demolition Concludes, But Work Remains

Oct. 24, 2024 By Jim McCarthy While it seemed unfathomable to some a few short years ago, the largest dam removal in U.S. history wrapped up this summer as structural demolition ended on the lower four Klamath River dams. Beginning with the removal of Copco No. 2 last year, this historic success marks a victory

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Declarations Filed in Winchester Dam Lawsuit

By Gloria Coleman | Aug. 3, 2024 | Roseburg News-Review WaterWatch of Oregon, Native Fish Society, The Steamboaters, Umpqua Watersheds, The North Umpqua Foundation, James V. McCarthy and Kirk Blaine submitted a motion to intervene and support the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) in the civil lawsuit against the Winchester Water Control District

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WaterWatch Endangered Species Day Gallery

May 17, 2024 All this week WaterWatch of Oregon has been spotlighting wildlife in the lead-up to today’s observance of Endangered Species Day, highlighting the importance and value of the landmark 1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the plight of threatened aquatic species in Oregon. Since the ESA was signed into law on Dec. 28,

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Winchester Dam Serves No Purpose for the Fish of the North Umpqua

By Nate Humphrey | Jan. 13, 2024 | Bend Bulletin For those of us who have visited the North Umpqua River, it’s not a place you can forget. With cold, crystal-clear water, incredible wildlife, an abundance of native wildflowers and so much more, the North Umpqua’s beauty is unmatched. The North Umpqua and its salmon

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Oregon Court Rejects Proposed Dam Near Silver Falls State Park

By John Ross Ferrara | Nov. 2, 2023 | KOIN News On Nov. 1, the Oregon Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the Oregon Water Resources Commission’s 2019 decision to deny the building of a 70-foot dam on Drift Creek between Silver Falls State Park and Silverton. The decision ended a 21-year battle to create a

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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

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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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$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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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

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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: Jim McCarthy, jim@waterwatch.org Tommy Hough, tommy@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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Douglas County Residents Sound Off On Winchester Dam in Roseburg News-Review

By Becky McRae and Bill Black | Oct. 3, 2023 | Roseburg News-Review Too Many Questions Linger on Winchester Dam The North Umpqua River is the reason Zane Grey left the Rogue River. The river enjoyed the fishing of Jimmy Carter when he was President of the United States, it welcomed author and fisherman Jack

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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 Wildlife Official Acknowledges “Hundreds of Thousands” of Fish Deaths in 2023 Winchester Dam DisasterSenate committee probing whether state officials hold dam’s operations and maintenance to appropriate statutory, regulatory standards. Salem, Oregon — This Wednesday, during testimony before state legislators regarding botched

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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

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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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Oregon Fish and Wildlife Urged to Address Winchester Dam Repairs

By Alanna Mayham | Sept. 15, 2023 | Courthouse News Service Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife heard a handful of public comments about repairs to the Winchester Dam and the effects on aquatic species and the local economy. Conservationists and anglers on Friday urged the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife to hold the

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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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Hold Winchester Dam Owners Accountable Now

We need your help asking Governor Kotek and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to hold Winchester Water Control District (WWCD) accountable for the harm and killing of state sensitive species on the North Umpqua River in Douglas County. Click here to submit your letter. On Aug. 7th, WWCD began repairs on the

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Critics Argue Repairs on Oregon Dam Don’t Go Far Enough to Protect Salmon

By Alanna Mayham | Aug. 8, 2023 | Courthouse News Service A nonprofit says fish won’t be able to access their preferred habitats because of the repairs. Some claim the dam needs to go. The Winchester Dam on Oregon’s North Umpqua River closed for three weeks on Monday for repairs and reservoir drawdown in an

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Evans Creek Dams Are on State’s List of Worst Impediments for Fish Passage

By Mark Freeman | March 4, 2013 | Medford Mail-Tribune Wimer and Fielder dams are cited as two of the state’s top 10 impediments to fish passage. The 100-year-old Wimer Dam that spans Evans Creek near this community is a classic example of a structure doing far more harm than good to the wild salmon

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