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 12,000-acre-foot reservoir along Drift Creek, …
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 Douglas County Circuit Court against …
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 550,000 Pacific lamprey during repair …
Crews Demolish Dam in Takelma Creek, Restore Access for Salmon
By Izzie Lund | Oct. 4, 2023 | KDRV News Crews have finished demolishing a 13-foot-high, 70-foot-wide dam in an effort to restore salmon and steelhead habitat in Takelma Creek, according to a news release from WaterWatch of Oregon. “(The project) opened access to approximately 3.5 miles of formerly blocked spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead, replaced the …
Protections for Flows and Fish Secured on the Crooked River
After a decade of advocacy to restore and protect the flows of the Crooked River in Central Oregon, long-awaited legal protection for flows released from Prineville Reservoir for downstream fish and wildlife has at last been approved. The Crooked River in Central Oregon is one of Oregon’s crown jewels. Winding through farmlands, Smith Rock State Park, and miles of wilderness …
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 …
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 act that would have appeased …