The Pomeroy Dam was built in the 1940’s. For 80 years it has provided low cost irrigation water to the Q-Bar-X ranch and served as a popular recreation and swimming area.
The dam itself is very beautifully designed. Not only is it quite functional and well built, but it is designed in such a way as to provide a gorgeous recreational spot that is unparalleled.
Local residents – some of whom moved to the Pomeroy Estates because of the beauty of the area provided by the dam – will tell you that fish are seen in large quantities on both sides of the dam. It is an asset to the local environment and certainly not harmful.
Indeed, common sense makes it obvious that a dam that has existed for 80 years in harmonious coexistence with the natural wildlife isn’t causing any harm. Only a radical environmental group who’s goal seems to be to destroy dams for pay would say otherwise.
The Pomeroy Dam is relatively small, includes safe passage for fish, and obviously any maintenance or improvements in fish ladders would not be costly – unless such costs are deliberately run up by bureaucrats.
Water Watch of Oregon – a Portland based radical environment group who destroys dams for profit is being paid $1.2 million dollars of your tax payer money to remove the dam. (Capitol Press, 5/29/2024)
The deal to remove the dam was done behind closed doors. Since no-one who benefits from the dam can afford the ongoing threats of lawsuits and other monetary threats from Water Watch, they were forced to settle. Water Watch is going to provide some pumps for irrigation – but, of course, no money to maintain those pumps and pay the large ongoing electricity costs. The wonderful recreation area will be likewise destroyed.
Everyone loses except those who are making money off the dam’s destruction.
What can we do??
An outside-of-the-county Portland-based Radical Environmental group is destroying our infrastructure in exchange for our tax money.
As the Republican nominee for Senate, I think it is important to alert residents to local problems whenever possible. We recently toured the Pomeroy dam. What you will see if you view it is a wonderfully engineered dam that has been there for 80 years. You do NOT see trash or messes like you see in cities like Portland . Visitors keep the area pristine and are proud of it.
Some pictures are included in this article. They do not do the area justice. You have to see it to appreciate it.
It is summer and many residents can be found swimming and enjoying the area at all hours of the day. Their recreational area is about to be destroyed.
We recommend that you call Portland based Water Watch and ask them why they would destroy a dam for profit (technically they are a non-profit for tax purposes, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t getting paid). Their number is: 503-295-4039. You can read about them on the internet. Water Watch claims to be protecting the fish, and will pretend to be knowledgable about fish science, but they were also advocates for destroying the large dams on the Klamath river. That project cost more than $500 million dollars in tax money, destroyed another beautiful area, and killed all the wildlife in the river.
We also recommend that you make sure all your neighbors know this is going on. Destruction of our infrastructure should not occur behind closed doors. Water Watch and their contractors should be held liable for this.
If you know anyone involved in this project, please suggest to them that this is not a project they should be involved in. Water Watch will doubtless hire local people to do the work required to destroy the dam. It’s a trivial job but does require some effort. While we understand the position from some of them that they are just doing a job, ethics should prevent involvement from anyone that knows what is going on.
Radical environmental groups are succeeding in destroying our dams. THIS. MUST. STOP.
Dr. Noah Robinson is vice president of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. He and his family have 25 years of experience in homeschool education. He is the Republican nominee for Senate District 2.