Congress Appropriates $2.2M for Savage Rapids Dam

[Straydog]

Yahoo!!

GPID got it's requested 2.2 Million to go forward with pump design and engineering!

This is a huge step forward in the steps to remove this fish killing dam!!!

YES!!

[eyeFISH]

[RogueFishr]

That is great news!!

RF

[roguesteelheader]

That is a early x mas present!!!!!!

[Point-of-Sale Clerk]

Congratulations Straydog

I know how long you and others have worked to bring this to fruition.
You have earned the right to cheer…

[freespool]

Straydog, so we're looking at 4-5 years? What is their best guess for demolition? This has got to be the slowest public works operation I've ever seen. Heck they bulit a tunnel under the English Channel faster than this project. How long has it been sinse the water commision finally said ok we favor dam removel?


salmon hugger

[drift c]

yes..........YES..........WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[Straydog]

Freespool,

I am not sure exactly when the water commission agreed dam removal was the right way to go........... '96 or'97 I think.

Hatfield had the money secured in '97 but then Senator Brady Adams turned it down with the urging of a big money customer and political supporter, who had taken over control of the Irrigation Dist. at that time. The previous board had agreed to remove the dam.

As for actual removal, that is unknown at this time but they are, by order of the consent decree signed in Aug. 2001, to stop using the dam for water delivery in 2006. The assumed removal date would be the following year however, again, it has not been set in stone.

One thing to remember is that with the radial gate open it is passable to fish during both the upmigration and the out migration.

Having said that, know that I and many like minded supporters of dam removal will not rest until the concrete flies!!!

[Lured In]

Woohoo!

[freespool]

Please keep us posted on the removal date. I'll be down there, and I want to party.


salmon hugger

[eyeFISH]

A little off topic, but along the same lines... does anybody know what the status of the Elwha dam removal project is? Another grindingly slow process, for sure.

[jimd]

Here's some info on the dam:

http://roguepundit.typepad.com/rogue..._rapids_d.html

[freespool]

$16 to $19 million? That sounds very high to me. What are they going to do remove every peck of concrete? Then haul out all the sediment behind the dam. Just blow the sucker up and let the river take care of it. This seems like the federal government is fiddeling while Rome burns.


salmon hugger

[Straydog]

Some words of caution concerning the BLOG who's link was shared.

I have read some of this guys stuff and his knowledge of local issues is weak, at best. This holds true for lots of other new comers to our valley, as well.

He mentions the needs of farmers, ranchers and orchardists.
The vast majority of these entities are now gone. They have been developed into subdivisions. The majority of the water supplied by the Grants Pass Irrigation Dist. goes to water lawns and hobby gardens. The only orchards and most of the commercial farming and ranching that goes on is down stream from town and utilizes the Fort Vannoy Irrigation Dist., which already gets it water via pumps.

In 1996 an economic study of the area found that Ag. produces about 1 million dollars for the local economy while Sportfishing produces over 12 million. My guess is that today these numbers are even further apart.

The biggest commercial use of the GPID is utilized by a friend of mine that is on the GPID Board of Directors. He got permission to move his point of diversion down to his own place and uses his own pump to get his water. It is more dependable than the gravity system the GPID relies upon. He has been calling for dam removal since the '80's. He raises beef and hay.

The BLOGGER mentions the need for our Congressional delegation to get involved to facilitate progress on this project. He is apparently unaware that Senators Wyden and Smith as well as Representative Greg Walden have indeed been working together to help us get this passed and have in fact been instrumental in getting us this far. (notes of thanks would be nice, by the way!!)

[Straydog]

$16 to $19 million? That sounds very high to me. What are they going to do remove every peck of concrete? Then haul out all the sediment behind the dam. Just blow the sucker up and let the river take care of it. This seems like the federal government is fiddeling while Rome burns.


salmon hugger

The fact is these are very rough numbers because they don't know yet which pumping alternative will be used and until they determine that, they don't know how much of the dam to remove. One proposal calls for a big pipe across the river that would utilize some of the pillars of the dam to hold it up.

The sediment is not scheduled to be removed. The plan is to let mother nature take care of dispersing it.

[Siwash]

Thanks for the info. Nice to hear it from someone who's close to the front line, instead of the through usual political/news filter.

I'm also curious about the Elwha removal project... Anyone?

[Siwash]

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[I can't delete it either - cb]