Winchester Dam Repairs Impact Steelhead Run

Photo: Tom Hart/Flickr

The Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River will be undergoing repairs at the end of August. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem. But in this case, the repairs will shut down the fish ladder on the dam, and release loads of sediment into the river downstream, negatively impacting already struggling runs of salmon and steelhead. According to the Native Fish Society. “The release of stored water downstream on August 7th will likely attract native migratory fish towards the dam just after the ladder closes, confining them for weeks to the warm water below the dam with no cold-water refugia nearby. Compounding this harm, the reservoir refill occurring around August 28th will temporarily reduce river flows downstream of the dam during the driest and hottest period of the year and likely injure North Umpqua instream water rights intended to protect salmon and steelhead.”

You can read more about this potentially devastating project here.