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GPID�s appeal rejected By Paul Fattig GRANTS PASS � A Court of Appeals ruling appears to cut the amount of water the Grants Pass Irrigation District can divert from the Rogue River this summer by one-third . On Wednesday, the Oregon Court of Appeals denied an appeal by the district to delay cancellation of some of the district�s temporary right to withdraw water at Savage Rapids Dam. The ruling affects a temporary water right issued by the state for 52 cubic feet per second. The court�s action does not affect the district�s certified water rights for about 98 cfs. Because of mechanical failures, the district has not been able to draw its full water right this season. The temporary right had been issued in 1994 on condition that the district take steps to remove the controversial dam. However, the Oregon Water Resources Commission moved in 1998 to cancel that temporary right, citing the district�s lack of progress in forming a plan to remove the dam. The district appealed the commission�s decision. Exactly how the district plans to cope with the loss of the water is unknown. Don Greenwood, chairman and spokesman of the GPID Board of Directors, was not available for comment late Friday afternoon. Medford resident Bob Hunter, staff attorney for WaterWatch of Oregon, said the district�s legal stalling put the water in jeopardy. "GPID�s stalling has backfired," Hunter said, adding that he believes the original purpose of the appeal was to delay the process. "If they had been willing to compromise a year ago, their patrons would not be in such dire straits today. "Their failure to follow through on their commitments has finally caught up with them," he added. WaterWatch has led the effort to remove the irrigation dam immediately upstream from Grants Pass. The 80-year-old dam is the largest killer of salmon and steelhead in the river�s drainage, according to WaterWatch. In January, district patrons voted to accept a board plan to remove the dam at a cost of some $27 million. The district proposal, however, is contingent upon the federal government installing and operating pumps paying for other district expenses. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA