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Dam Repairs Unleash Ecological Disaster, Cost Millions
23 Mar
Summary
- Half a million juvenile lamprey died due to botched dam repairs.
- Fines and required construction total tens of millions of dollars.
- Conservation groups renew calls for the dam's demolition.
Botched repairs at the 135-year-old Winchester Dam in southern Oregon have triggered escalating legal battles and significant financial penalties. The summer 2023 repairs to the dam on the North Umpqua River led to the deaths of approximately 550,000 juvenile Pacific lamprey, a species on the state's Sensitive Species List.
This ecological disaster resulted in substantial fines. An administrative law judge upheld over $77,700 in fines for water quality violations, including spilling concrete into the river. Additionally, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission ordered the dam operators to fund and install a fish ladder within four years, a project potentially costing tens of millions.
Further compounding the issue is a $27.6 million fine against the dam operators for the lamprey loss, which is still being litigated. The Winchester Water Control District and its contractor, TerraFirma Foundation Repair, are fighting these penalties and are suing state agencies. The district, composed of about 100 residents, has a history of maintenance issues, including previous fines for concrete spills.
Conservation groups, including WaterWatch of Oregon and the Steamboaters, are leveraging these events to renew their long-standing calls for the dam's demolition. They argue that removing the dam would reconnect 160 miles of the North Umpqua River, allowing unimpeded fish migration and aiding the restoration of imperiled salmon and steelhead populations.
