Murphy Dam Removal Phase 1

This project is located on private and county property near Murphy, in Josephine County, on the Applegate River, tributary of the Rogue River, and on Onion and Stringer creeks, tributaries to the Applegate River flowing through lands served by the Murphy Ditch Association. A stream-spanning concrete, wood, and rock dam blocks or impede adult and juvenile fish passage to 100 miles of spawning and rearing habitat. Impacted species include Fall Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, summer and winter Steelhead, Pacific Lamprey, Cutthroat Trout, and Suckers. Murphy Dam is ranked in Group 2 of ODFWs 2019 Statewide Fish Passage Priority List. The Murphy Dam fish ladder does not comply with NOAA and ODFW fish passage criteria. Barriers at road- and canal-crossings in the Onion and Stringer creek tributaries of the Applegate River, which flow through lands served by Murphy Dam, impede and harm native migratory fish. This project complements salmon restoration efforts ongoing throughout the Rogue Basin. This project will create designs to remove Murphy Dam and significantly improve access to 100 miles of spawning and rearing habitat. The design will include a new, properly screened pump with pump house to maintain existing water use, with pumping costs partially offset by installation of a solar array, as well as removing and replacing fish barriers in the Onion and Stringer creek tributaries identified by ODFW and/or NOAA. WaterWatchs project partners include the dam owner, ODFW, USFWS, NOAA, USFS, BLM, OWRD, River Design Group, and Rogue Basin Partnership.

This project will address the problem of fish passage at Murphy Dam on the Applegate River. Murphy Dam is ranked in Group 2 of ODFWs 2019 Statewide Fish Passage Priority List. It is currently the highest ranked fish passage barrier on this list in the Rogue Basin since an applicant-led project in summer 2024 removed the highest ranked barrier - Pomeroy Dam in the Rogue’s Illinois River subbasin. Through removal of Murphy Dam, this project will restore/improve access to 100 miles of upstream high-quality spawning and rearing habitat for SONCC Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, winter steelhead, and cutthroat trout. The Rogue River Basin is the largest salmon and steelhead producer in Oregon outside of the Columbia River. Dam building began in the Rogue in the 1860s, and several hundred dams were built and maintained within the range of migratory fish. While overall the Rogue Basin supports a vibrant fishery, it is also replete with dams that block or impede fish passage, including the dam proposed for removal under this project. These dams exacerbate stressors including declining water quality, increased water temperatures, and increased frequency and intensity of drought. Remaining fish passage barriers pose both a high stress to juveniles and a medium-threat overall to Coho populations. The NOAA SONCC Recovery Plan specifically outlines the severity of stresses affecting each life stage of Coho in the Middle Rogue and Applegate River. Dams and diversions are identified as a key limiting threat; ranked as “medium” for fry and “very high” for juveniles, low for smolts, medium for adults with an overall rank of “high”. In addition, altered hydrologic function is identified as a key limiting stress with a rank of “medium” for eggs and “very high” for fry, juveniles, smolts, “high for adults and an overall stress rate of “very high.” This project will address fish passage through designing dam removal and installing a properly screened pump to replace the dams diversion function returning flow instream by moving the current point of diversion downstream, and eliminating approximately 1000-foot of leaky earthen canal for irrigation water delivery. This project will also address any fish passage barriers identified by ODFW and/or NOAA at canal-stream crossings at fish bearing Onion and Stringer creeks, tributaries to the Applegate River that flow through lands served by Murphy Ditch Association, the owner of Murphy Dam.