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Gold Hill Water-Intake Project Shut Down After River Spill

Posted on: Friday, 22 July 2005, 21:00 CDT

Jul. 22--GOLD HILL -- State environmental agencies shut down the city's water-intake project Thursday after contractors sent masses of murky water spilling into the Rogue River.

"They've been instructed to stop," said Bob Lobdell, Department of State Lands natural-resource coordinator. Lobdell said the city's contractor, Johnny Cat Construction, faces fines up to $10,000 a day for violating permit requirements.

Gold Hill was ordered to relocate its water-intake site and remove its diversion dam -- considered the second-worst barrier to fish passage on the Rogue River -- by the Oregon Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation, said Public Works Director Royal Gasso.

Construction on the $1,084,000 million intake project began June 15, said Gasso.

Lobdell said Johnny Cat violated permit limitations by creating two temporary dams that contained 30,000 cubic yards of rock. The dams were intended to keep the work area dry for the construction.

"There are 10 cubic yards per dump truck," he said. "That tells you how much material they were using."

Lobdell said that Thursday morning he witnessed crews puncture the outer dam and send sediment-filled water spilling into the river.

"They couldn't get it sealed and they ended up breaching (the outer dam's wall,)" said Lobdell.

Johnny Cat's project superintendent, Bob LaDuke, says his crews did not breach the dam, and are following all project design plans.

LaDuke doesn't know why Lobdell shut the job down, he said.

"He didn't give us a reason," said LaDuke. "All we were told was to stop work."

On Wednesday, the Department of Environmental Quality received turbidity complaints and traced the source back to the intake site, said Rogue Basin coordinator Bill Meyers.

Meyers visited the site after crews had left for the day, he said.

"The water was looking really brown," Meyers said.

Lee Hodges of Lee-Pace Engineering, the project's engineering company, said Meyers informed him there was a large plume of brown water extending from the site Wednesday night.

"I'm not sure what happened," said Hodges.

Gasso said the city should not be held responsible for its contractors actions.

"We were trying to comply with all agency standards and requirements," he said.

Gasso hopes no fines will be charged against the city, he said.

"We have no control over the means and methods the contractor uses to complete the job," said Gasso.

The Department of State Lands will pursue enforcement for permit violations associated with the construction of the project, Lobdell said. Permits were issued in March 2004 and updated in January 2005, he said.

"For right now, we're taking the lead on enforcement," said Lobdell.

The DEQ would assess fines if there were any water quality violations, Meyers said.

Johnny Cat's troubles may not end with the two state agencies, said Lobdell. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also will assess the situation for violations of the federal Clean Water Act, he said.

Meanwhile, the project is shut down indefinitely, Meyers said.

"They're done," he said.

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Source: Mail Tribune

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