Posted: Monday, October 12, 2009
PORTLAND, OR - Kayakers and salmon had the first opportunity to experience the Rogue River in a different way. For the first time in 88 years, they can travel the Rogue without passing the Savage Rapids Dam. Correspondent April Baer reports.
Construction crews finished removing the dam ahead of schedule. Attorney Bob Hunter was there to see it.
Hunter: "A huge section of the dam is gone, there's a little bit of section of concrete on the left that houses the turbine pump system that will stay. And the new channel is carving its way through the sediment. It's moving big boulders, a very dynamic situation right now, as the river is finding its way."
Hunter is with the group Water Watch, which worked for years to see dams along the Rogue removed in the interest of salmon. Their efforts turned a corner when they reached a consent decree with the local irrigation district in 2001. The riverbed may be unstable for a few days yet, but boaters and others look forward to using it soon.
Copyright 2009 OPB