Winchester Dam

Winchester Dam
The dam in 2010
Location N. Umpqua River at Hwy. 99, Winchester, Oregon
Coordinates 43°17′5″N 123°21′12″W / 43.28472°N 123.35333°W / 43.28472; -123.35333Coordinates: 43°17′5″N 123°21′12″W / 43.28472°N 123.35333°W / 43.28472; -123.35333
Area 2.2 acres (0.89 ha)
Built 1890 (1890)
Architect Briggs, Charles
NRHP reference # 96000627[1]
Added to NRHP June 3, 1996

Winchester Dam is a dam on the North Umpqua River in Winchester, Oregon. Constructed in 1890, the dam was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.[2]

The Winchester Dam was made from large timber cribs. Originally, the dam was a mere four feet high, which was raised to sixteen feet in 1907. The dam was the main source of water and electricity for the town of Roseburg until 1923.[3] The dam's hydropower facilities have long since been removed, and the structure is now maintained solely for the recreational benefit of the Winchester Water Control District, composed of the private landowners surrounding the reservoir pool.[4]

In 1994, conservation group Oregon Natural Resources Council released a report titled "Damnable Dams" which called for the removal of a number of Pacific Northwest dams, including Winchester Dam, because of the harm these structures caused to salmon and other fish.[5] Since then, other dams on the "Damnable Dams" list have come down, including Savage Rapids[6], Elk Creek[7], and Gold Ray[8] dams in southern Oregon. However, Winchester Dam has remained. In 2013, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife placed Winchester Dam on the Statewide Fish Passage Priority List, an official listing of Oregon's top artificial obstructions to native migratory fish.[9]

Fish Counting Station

Although the fish ladder at Winchester Dam does not meet current federal standards for passing fish[10], it has generated information for fishery management decisions since 1945.[11] There is a fish counting station maintained by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife here. At the station, biologists count fish to monitor population, design management methods, and prescribe angling regulations.[3] Since 2015, funding for fish counting at the station has been significantly reduced, and local fishermen have questioned the accuracy of the station's results.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Oregon National Register List, page 11
  3. 1 2 "Fish Counts: Winchester Dam". Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  4. ↑ https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/ec88eb6d-93ef-4c39-ac23-5eaaa374142f
  5. ↑ http://www.hcn.org/issues/3/88
  6. ↑ http://waterwatch.org/programs/savage-rapids-dam-removal
  7. ↑ http://www.oregonwild.org/waters/rivers-and-dams/elk-creek-dam/timeline
  8. ↑ http://waterwatch.org/gold-ray-dam-comes-down
  9. ↑ http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/passage/docs/2013_Statewide_Prioritization_List.pdf
  10. ↑ http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fish_passage/ferc_licensing/rogue_umpqua/winchester.html
  11. ↑ http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/fish_counts/winchester_dam.asp
  12. ↑ http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Steamboat-Whistle-Spring-2017.html?soid=1110504438198&aid=lG-rhlQeg54
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