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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW On the campaign trail: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in New Hampshire ... Guest Opinion: Income inequality and our community ... Lost Creek dam failure would flood parts of Central Point, Gold Hill ... On the campaign trail: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in New Hampshire ... Guest Opinion: Income inequality and our community ... Lost Creek dam failure would flood parts of Central Point, Gold Hill ... GUEST OPINION Dam removal ran roughshod over property owners Guest Opinion: Dam removal ran roughshod over property owners Comment By Gordon S. Anderson MailTribune.com By Gordon S. Anderson Posted Aug. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Gordon S. Anderson Posted Aug. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Viewing news reports from various local news and TV stations has convinced me that most reporters have been unaware of both sides of the destruction of Fielder Dam. For several years, Bob Hunter and private environmental groups Geos, Water Watch and River Design have been working feverishly to obtain permits to remove two small dams upstream, then an 11-foot dam at Wimer and finally the 19-foot Fielder Dam (as well as Savage Rapids and Gold Ray large dams). It appears that in their eagerness and super confidence in pushing through the permitting process. when it got to the details, state and federal protocols were not followed. First, in negotiating with the family who had owned both sides of the Creek and Dam, when they were rebuffed, time and again, it appears Bob Hunter of Water Watch, a Medford attorney, threatened them with a huge lawsuit in federal court if they wouldn’t sign and give up their rights, allowing demolition. While the whole family wanted to preserve the pretty lake and dam, and agonized over their decision for months, they finally felt hopeless without protection from the state agencies and gave in. There was no offer to buy the whole property out for possibly a million dollars. There was no backing down and letting the family enjoy their own land and lake. There was no offer to build a world-class fish ladder (like the one Hunter himself helped build at the dam in 1984, and which brought a national award). No! Geos and Water Watch shoved them aside, evidently in cahoots with the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of State Lands, the Corps of Engineers, the Department of Forestry and the Oregon Watershed Board (who awarded $446,000 or more of the taxpayers' money to these private groups to save fish, which later died by the thousands). Surely, that’s not good policy for state agencies to allow anyone to bully individual families, or the taxpayers, with a “gun to their heads." On Aug. 12, while part of the family, State Sen. Herman Baertschiger, environmental specialist Allen Ehr and other opponents sought a last-minute stay to accomplish better testing, a top DEQ official deceptively kept them away from the dam site so demolition could start immediately by ripping off the top of the dam. When the opponents retired to a neighbor’s view deck over the dam, we were astonished to see major destruction already occurring after the Department of Forestry fire curfew. There appear to be many violations of protocols for safe dam removal . Regulations to ban heavy machinery from contaminating the creek, to ban the use of engines in rural lands after fire shutdown rules (1 p.m.) and, most importantly, very shoddy water testing procedures and others appear to have been rushed through to silence any opposition. Filthy water would not have affected Mr. Hunter or anyone in the Medford area, but those in Rogue River and Grants Pass and all the way to the coast could suffer. The Josephine County Health Department has been watching this situation closely, in stark contrast to the involved state agencies. Hazardous materials, including arsenic, mercury, PCB oils, uranium and radon, all were in the sediment behind the dam. Some were, and are now, finally being accurately tested by qualified personnel who found levels that should have been known before removal. But the state, Water Watch, Geos and River Design rushed ahead despite warnings from our senator and many others. Recently, Gov. Kate Brown (in the wake of the abuses that forced Gov. John Kitzhaber’s embarrassing resignation) was quoted on TV and in the Oregonian that if she found officials who were abusing their position, she would relieve them and large fines could follow for not following protocols. She wanted transparency from her department heads. Now is the time for the governor to keep her word and not just “keep on keeping on.” Fortunately, several highly qualified opponents are closely monitoring the stinking, steaming, awful sludge that now will cause damage to fish spawning for years, and hopefully our drinking water will prove safe. Gordon S. Anderson of Grants Pass is a former Grants Pass City Council member and mayor, and was state representative for District 3 from 2003-2007. By Gordon S. Anderson MailTribune.com By Gordon S. Anderson Posted Aug. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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