Recap - Winchester Dam Lunch and Learn

Wednesday, February 3, 2021 - Native Fish Society hosted a Lunch and Learn featuring a presentation on Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River with WaterWatch's Southern Oregon Program Director, Jim McCarthy. This presentation included a 35 minute presentation with twenty minutes of questions and answers.

Winchester dam, a 130 year-old wood, concrete, and metal dam located on Oregon's iconic North Umpqua River, has been harming fish populations and the communities which depend on the North Umpqua for decades. Numerous longstanding holes, botched repairs, pollution spills, exposed metal spikes, and a failing fish ladder have made this dam a high priority for fish conservation and public safety in the Umpqua Basin.

Native Fish Society, WaterWatch, and a statewide coalition of other organizations have advocated for over two years, urging the dam owners to follow the law, repair the dam sufficiently to end harm to fish and water quality and meet public safety requirements, or remove the dam. As a last resort, WaterWatch of Oregon and other organizations have recently gone to court to demand action.

See the link below to watch the full presentation. If you have any questions or comments please contact our Southern Oregon Regional Coordinator Kirk Blaine at kirk@nativefishsociety.org.