Link to S. 1308

Wyden, Smith Bill Would Aid Installation of Irrigation Pumps, Removal of Savage Rapids Dam at Grants Pass
Removing 82-year old dam will help modernize irrigation district,
aid salmon passage on Rogue River

June 16, 2003

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) today introduced legislation authorizing the Federal government to move forward with the installation of new irrigation pumps for the Grants Pass Irrigation District (GPID), to be followed by the removal of the Savage Rapids Dam for water conservation and fish passage improvement. According to a U.S. District Court consent decree, agreed to by the GPID Board, the water pumps are to be installed to conserve water and to serve GPID’s 8,000 irrigation users. After the pumps have been installed and tested, the diversion dam will be removed. The dam does not generate electricity.

In 1999, farmers, environmentalists and other stakeholders in the GPID, currently served by the Savage Rapids Dam, agreed on the plan to install irrigation pumps on the Rogue River to replace the current irrigation system the dam provides.

“This legislation is another good example of the Oregon way: bringing together varied interests to get win-win results for Oregon communities and the environment,” said Wyden.

“I have always been committed to ensuring the Grants Pass Irrigation District can continue to deliver water to its members,” said Smith. “I am pleased to seek federal assistance to help the District implement the consent decree.”

Wyden and Smith have been working to help Grants Pass residents meet the court approved deadline for the installation of pumps, securing $750,000 in funding over FY2002 and 2003 to study and design the pumping system. This Wyden-Smith bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to act through the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Secretary of Commerce to act through National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, to undertake studies and construction projects, such as the removal of the Savage Rapids Dam, necessary to comply with the action agreed to under the consent decree.

This legislation is supported by the Grants Pass Irrigation District, Waterwatch, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, Trout Unlimited, and a number of Oregon river guide and sport fishing concerns.

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