Fish conservationists file lawsuit against owners of Winchester Dam

Fish conservationists file lawsuit against owners of Winchester Dam

Is at the center of a lawsuit... as kezi 9 news reporter evita garza shows us... fish conservationists say the 130 year old dam is in need of major repairs.

<?there are holes through the dam, there are holes under the dam& and these holes attack fish?

Jim mccarthy is the southern oregon representative for waterwatch oregon& the conservation group trying to sue the winchester water control district -- the current owners of the winchester dam.

Mccarthy says they found that the dam does not meet the state safety or fish passage standards& because the w-w-c-d members have been careless.?it so decrepit in our view that the most cost- efficient way to get rid of all the problems is to remove it?

Evita: mccarthy says removing the dam would cost about eight to ten million dollars and waterwatch would pay for it& if the winchester water control district would agree to it??we did continue to try to resolve the issues earlier this year.

We sent a letter to the owners?

However, in a statement from w- w-c-d president ryan beckley& he says the last thing he wants to do is remove the dam.

And, he says he rather collaborate with mccarthy to find solutions& but he says his efforts have been unsuccessful.

Built in the 1890s, he says he is willing to acknowledge the dam old age& and they are working on two separate projects to improve it.

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