Savage Rapids Dam was an approximately 39-foot-high (12 m), 500-foot-long (150 m) irrigation diversion dam spanning the mainstem of the Rogue River in Josephine County, Oregon. The dam was demolished and removed in 2009. Built in 1921 by the Grants Pass Irrigation District (GPID), the dam diverted water from the river to GPID's irrigation canals. Savage Rapids Dam did not fulfill other functions often associated with dams such as flood control, hydro-electric power, and managing inland waterways. The dam provided minor recreational benefits and provided habitat for certain migratory birds. Because its facilities for accommodating migrating salmon did not meet current legal or practical standards, GPID had agreed to allow this dam to be demolished and replaced by pumps. GPID had entered into a U.S. Federal Court consent decree to this effect. Construction of the replacement irrigation pumps began in 2006, and these pumps began operating on May 11, 2009. The final dam demolition and removal was completed in October 2009. This project represented one of the largest dam removals ever undertaken in the United States, and it is expected to have significant and enduring positive impacts on salmon and steelhead populations on the Rogue River and the valuable sport and commercial salmon fisheries of Oregon.
History The Grants Pass Irrigation District was organized by water users in January 1917, and it then contained about 6,000 acres (24 km2) of land. In 1920, a diversion dam design was adopted to provide for a direct diversion system with permanent pumping units at a site on the Rogue River about five miles (8 km) east of the town of Grants Pass, Oregon. The Savage Rapids Dam was dedicated November 5, 1921, and this marked the beginning of the operational history of the water district. The Savage Rapids Dam and its related facilities were badly damaged by a flood in 1927. Emergency repairs were made at that time, but the lack of sufficient funds prevented satisfactory completion of the work. By 1949, the cost of maintenance had become prohibitive for the GPID, and soon the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was asked to replace or repair significant portions of the facility using Federal funds. Construction of a new buried pipeline under the river to replace the old suspension pipeline was completed during the winter of 1949-50. Savage Rapids Dam was rehabilitated from March 25, 1953, to February 22, 1955. Fish ladders on both the north and south sides of the river were upgraded in the late 1950s. Improvements to the current fish passage facilities at the dam were completed in 1978.
Path to removal agreement
Although the dam removal agreement was widely hailed as a great success for all parties involved, the path to agreement took many years and included a great deal of conflict. In 1988, the conservation, science, and sport fishing groups WaterWatch, the American Fisheries Society, and the Rogue Flyfishers protested the GPID’s state-level application for a water right to divert additional water from the Rogue River, and commenced negotiations with the GPID over water use and fish passage. In 1990, WaterWatch reached an agreement with the GPID and the state on a temporary water rights permit, conditional upon completion of a study on water conservation alternatives and fish passage alternatives for the dam. Significantly, this study evaluated dam removal as an alternative. Completed in 1994, the study recommended the dam's removal. The "Oregon Water Resources Commission" then ordered an extension of the GPID’s temporary water right permit on three conditions: The district was required to replace the dam with pumps, to remove the dam, and to reduce its irrigation water diversion from the river. However, from 1995 through 2000, the GPID board of directors reneged on its commitment to dam removal and instead waged a political and legal battle to keep the dam. This led to litigation in state and federal courts. In 1997, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listed the Rogue coho salmon population as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act and determined that the Savage Rapids Dam caused significant harm to coho salmon. In 1998, after the GPID failed to submit a habitat conservation plan for the dam, as required under the ESA, NMFS sued the District. WaterWatch and the State of Oregon were successful in winning a state contested case, which resulted in the cancellation of the GPID’s temporary water right. This allowed WaterWatch to enter into direct negotiations with the GPID and forge a settlement of all federal and state litigation. This was formalized in a Consent Decree entered in August 2001. The Decree required the GPID to work for federal legislation to remove the dam and replace it with pumps and set a specific timeline for dam removal. The irrigation district also agreed to transfer 800 cubic feet per second (23 m3/s) of its water right to an instream water right devoted to fish. This represents the largest water right transfer of its kind in Oregon and one of the largest such transfers in the western United States. In 2002, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) pledged $3,000,000 toward the dam removal, the largest single grant OWEB had made until that time. This grant became a catalyst for federal legislation authorizing the Bureau of Reclamation to remove the dam, which passed the U.S. Congress in December 2003. In all, the removal project is expected to cost some $40,000,000, with the funds primarily coming from federal government. Additionally, the replacement pumping system has not been without its faults. Several times over successive irrigation seasons, pumps have been covered by sediment from the river, resulting in expensive river dredging. These issues were presented as concerns prior to the dam removal as the Bureau of Reclamation has studied impacts of sediment migration after dam removals.
2009 removal timeline April 7: Began building first coffer dam Mid-April: First "wet" test of new pumps Late April: Rerouted Rogue River to south side Early May: Irrigation began with new pumps June–July: Demolition of north half of dam Nov.-Dec.: Completed dam demolition
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