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Becklin outlines dam removal proposal By PAUL FATTIG GRANTS PASS -- There may be a crack in the Grants Pass Irrigation District's previously unyielding efforts to preserve Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River. Dennis Becklin, chairman of the Grants Pass Irrigation District, which relies on the dam to provide irrigation water during the summer, announced a proposal Wednesday to remove the dam. Basically, the 16-page proposal calls for the federal government to pay for everything associated with removing the dam. The cost of mitigation and restoration projects alone in the plan is estimated to be $10 million, according to the district. The proposal also asks the state for a water right of more than 152 cubic feet per second. Becklin made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan in Eugene clarified his decision to lift a gag order that has kept secret the talks between the district and WaterWatch, the major environmental foe in the 15-month negotiation in federal court over the dam. The judge said parties could address the current proposal but could not discuss the history of negotiations. Becklin's proposal states that dam removal is unnecessary but it has become the only option because of the commitment of the state, the federal government and environmental groups to remove the dam. "There is no excuse for the governor or the environmental community to reject this plan," Becklin said. "It gives them exactly what they've always wanted." But Medford resident Bob Hunter, staff attorney for WaterWatch, is dubious. "I think this plan is guaranteed to fail, and I think that's their intent," he said. One problem is that the proposal contains contingencies that, if not met, would allow the district to keep the dam, he said. Moreover, several of those contingencies can never be met, he said. "On top of that, the financial demands are exorbitant and unreasonable," he said. "Those demands won't fly in Congress." WaterWatch wants the district and the community to move forward with a dam removal program, Hunter said. "But we want a plan that is reasonable, that has some enforcement mechanisms that will work," he said, adding that the group also supports one that is financially viable to the district. Meanwhile, Becklin has called for a public meeting to begin at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Performing Arts Center at Grants Pass High School to discuss the proposal. District patrons and the public will be encouraged to comment on the proposal, followed by a vote by the district board, Becklin said. If the proposal is adopted by the board, a mail-in vote of the patrons will be held Jan. 15 to ratify the board's decision, he added. But in an election tallied Tuesday night, Grants Pass resident Judy Gove -- an outspoken opponent to Becklin's leadership -- has been elected to a three-year term on the board. She received 52 percent of the votes out of the more than 400 cast, according to the district. She will be sworn in Jan. 4, replacing board member Carl Stein, a Becklin supporter. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA