Savage Rapids Dam

Savage Rapids Dam was an approximately 39ft, 500ft irrigation diversion dam spanning the mainstem of the Rogue River in Josephine County, Oregon. The dam was demolished and removed in 2009. From 1921 until the spring of 2009, the Savage Rapids Dam almost entirely functioned for irrigation purposes, and it did not provide any flood control, hydro-electric power, inland waterway, or other significant beneficial uses. It only provided very minor recreational or wildlife (such as migratory birds) benefits.Because this dam's facilities for accommodating migrating salmon did not meet current legal or practical standards, the "Grants Pass Irrigation District" (the GPID) had agreed to allow this dam to be demolished and replaced by pumps. The GPID had entered into a U.S. Federal Court consent decree to this effect. Construction of the replacement irrigation pumps began in 2006, and these pumps started service on May 11, 2009. The final dam demolition and removal was completed in October 2009. This project represented one of the largest dam removals ever undertaken in the United States, and it is expected to have significant and enduring positive impacts on the valuable sport and commercial salmon fisheries of Oregon.HistoryThe Grants Pass Irrigation District was organized by water users in January 1917, and it then contained about 6000acre of land. In 1920, a diversion dam design was adopted to provide for a direct diversion system with permanent pumping units at a site on the Rogue River about five miles (8 km) east of the town of Grants Pass, Oregon. The Savage Rapids Dam was dedicated November 5, 1921, and this marked the beginning of the operational history of the water district.