Final drawdown set at S. Ore. dam to be removed

Decommissioning begins in earnest at Savage Rapids Dam .

The small reservoir created by the Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River is about to disappear forever.

The Grants Pass Irrigation District is about to draw down the reservoir for what may be the final time before a $28 million removal project begins.

The 87-year-old dam will be gone by next year to improve the passage of Rogue River salmon and steelhead.

On Friday, the dam will be opened to bring the river back to its channel and remove steel plates before the gates are closed for normal winter operations.

A 12-pump irrigation facility below the dam will be tested in November. If all goes well, the pumps will deliver about 140 cubic feet per second of water into 160 miles of canals, serving more than 8,000 customers.