Friday, July 23, 2010
Gold Ray Dam (photo: Friends of Gold Ray Dam)
Environmentalists have been pushing for the removal of old dams on Western rivers and streams to make it easier for salmon to migrate upstream. But a lawsuit filed in Oregon claims just the opposite—that the tearing down of the century-old Gold Ray Dam on the Rogue River would endanger local salmon populations.
Local residents of Jackson County have managed to get a judge to order suspension of the dam’s removal for now. The plaintiffs object to the dismantling on several grounds, including the argument that without the dam, the northern pikeminnow will be able to swim upstream and devour local salmon.
Residents also claim the dam’s destruction would hurt bald eagle habitats and dozens of great blue heron nests. Furthermore, landowners upstream could experience a drop in their water wells without Gold Ray in place, and they consider the dam an “historic site of national significance.” The dam was built in 1902-1904.
Jackson County officials have labeled the lawsuit “frivolous.” They argue that the dam’s removal is key to the county receiving $5 million in federal stimulus funds.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Judge Stops Gold Ray Dam Work (by Mark Freeman, Southern Oregon Mail Tribune)
Judge Blocks Dam Removal in Oregon (by Karina Brown, Courthouse News Service)
Gold Ray Dam Removal Fact Sheet (Waterwatch) (pdf)
Charles Boyer et al. v. Jackson County (U.S. District Court, Oregon) (pdf)
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