Gold Hill Dam Removal

Gold Hill Dam Removal and Restoration

Gold Hill Dam, which was identified as the 2nd greatest hindrance to fish passage in the Rogue Basin, after Savage Rapids Dam, was removed in Summer 2008.

The dam, which was built in the early 1900's, once served as a diversion to a power generation facility, and was the source of the City's municipal drinking water. The power facility is no longer in use, and the City removes water through a new water supply intake built in 2006. RVCOG is also conducting monitoring, public outreach and notification, and the riparian area and adjacent wetlands will be restored in the next 2 years.

Funding for the project was awarded from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Open Rivers Initiative grant program. The long-term benefits of the project include returning the river to a more natural condition, eliminating fish passage problems for the threatened Coho salmon and other species, and helping to create safer recreational and boating conditions.

For more pictures of the Gold Hill Dam Demoval, please click here.

For a narrated video of the Gold Hill Dam Removal, please click here.

For the Gold Hill Dam Removal Stop Motion Video, please click here.