JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – A local government council is getting hundreds of thousands of dollars to help safeguard water supplies.
The federal government is providing a total of $3,052,940 for three projects in Oregon to combat record drought conditions. $784,151 of that is earmarked for the Rogue Valley Council of Government’s “Bear Creek Fish Passage Barrier Removal” project.
Greg Stahach serves as resources program manager for RVCOG. He said, “Funding provided by this project will address several long-standing barriers in Bear Creek that impede water flow and fish passage. These barriers have been overlooked for funding despite being identified as local priorities. It’s through programs like these that projects are able to be completed. The funding will allow for work leading to retrofitting or removing the obstacles improving fish habitat, allowing Bear Creek to flow more freely by restoring aquatic habitat and stream bed conditions, and improve overall water quality for Coho salmon and other species that depend on Bear Creek.”
The funds, which come from the 2022 bipartisan infrastructure bill, will also pay for water projects in Curry County and the Hood River area.
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