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Study examines dam's sediment By PAUL FATTIG GRANTS PASS -- The environmental impact of releasing sediment trapped behind Savage Rapids Dam is as clear as mud. That's why the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has launched a study to determine what will happen to the Rogue River and its habitat if the dam is removed and the sediment released. "We want to make sure it's a good science-based analysis," said bureau spokesman Eric Glover. "We'll have an independent peer review of the study." The Savage Rapids Dam Task Force, which was convened in 1996 by the state Legislature and Gov. John Kitzhaber, had requested the in-depth sediment studies. Congress approved the $350,000 sediment study, expected to be completed in October 2000. The 80-year-old dam, operated by the Grants Pass Irrigation District, has long been a contentious point between those who believe it should be removed because of environmental damage and those who argue that it does more good than harm. The study will add to research done by the the Sportfish Heritage Foundation last year and the Bureau of Reclamation in 1995, Glover said. In the 1998 study, some heavy metals were found in the sediment, he said, although he added that the Environmental Protection Agency concluded the levels were not high enough to warrant concern. However, the task force wants further study of the potential of hazardous contaminants in the sediment as well as the impact released sediment would have on irrigation pumps and fish, Glover said. The new study will include sampling sediments to determine whether there is any toxic material, including organic pesticides, he said. No one knows how releasing the sediment downstream would impact the fishery, Glover said. "There isn't a great amount," he said. "A lot depends on the ability of the river to move the material." In addition to taking additional sediment samples, the study calls for creating a computer model of the river downstream to predict how the sediment would be deposited. A study team has been formed and a leader selected, Glover said. The 1995 Bureau of Reclamation study concluded that removing the dam would be the least expensive way to improve fish passage at the dam. It proposed allowing the sediments trapped behind the dam to be allowed to be removed by winter flooding. The new study is supported by the GPID, state and federal agencies, WaterWatch and other environmental and sportfishing groups. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA