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Commission ducks decision on GPID The Associated Press ROSEBURG -- The Oregon Water Resources Commission on Friday sidestepped action on whether the Savage Rapids Dam can continue drawing extra water from the Rogue River, allowing irrigation canals to flow next summer. The commission voted not to extend the Oct. 15 expiration of a supplemental water right for the Grants Pass Irrigation District, but decided against actually cutting off the water until the Oregon Court of Appeals rules on the district's appeal of an earlier cancelation of the water right. "In essence we have postponed making a decision," said Martha Pagel, director of the Oregon Water Resources Department. The commission had granted the district an extra 52 cubic feet per second of water in 1994 to keep its leaky canals full while it worked to correct fish passage problems at the 72-year-old dam. The district's original water right gives it just 97 cubic feet per second, which was not enough to get water through all the canals. The commission canceled the supplemental water right last year after deciding the irrigation district had failed to make progress on a 1994 agreement to remove Savage Rapids Dam and replace it with pumps to improve conditions for salmon. The district appealed the action to the Oregon Court of Appeals, where it is pending. "The expiration would normally kick in and supersede the cancellation," Pagel said. "But we took the procedural step of not extending it because it was already canceled. "That kicks us back to whether the cancellation was valid, and while they're deciding, the district can continue to use water." A court ruling could be two years away, said Chris Cauble, attorney for the district. Commissioner Dan Thorndyke said it was the only logical step the commission could take. "Extending a canceled permit is so surreal I can't understand it," he said. Cauble said they would appeal the commission's refusal to extend the water right, as well. "This is a good day for GPID," said district Board Chairman Dennis Becklin. "Despite all the efforts of the People For Responsible Irrigation, there will be irrigation water next year." People For Responsible Irrigation is a group of district water users who contend Becklin has misused district funds for expensive litigation that has stalled replacing the dam with pumps. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA