On August 18th, 2014, The Gold Hill Irrigation District began construction to improve fish passage at their diversion dam on the Rogue River. The district’s diversion dam and canal have been in place since 1916 without substantial upgrade. This project will improve safety for migrating salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey at the site by:
Decreasing the amount of water (and the number of fish) diverted out of the Rogue River (without affecting the District’s water right);
Returning diverted fish to the Rogue River quickly by replacing an open ditch with a pipe (this also eliminates the risk of predation by bird, mammal, and large fish in the canal environment); and
Eliminating a canal overflow area that attracts adult fish away from the Rogue River.
View the KTVL news video for more information on the fish passage improvement.