The fish viewing area at the Winchester Dam is set to re-open on April 1st. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said the platform has been closed to the public for two years due to COVID. The agency says people can see a variety of fish including salmon, steelhead and lamprey. The dam is on the North Umpqua River, just off Interstate 5 north of Roseburg.
The Winchester Dam was built in 1890, and was raised to 16 feet high in 1907, according to the ODFW. Prior to the pandemic-related shutdown, the agency said between 65,000 and 80,000 people visited the fish viewing site each year.
While the dam used to provide water and electricity for the city of Roseburg, its primary purpose now is recreation. Conservation groups say the dam’s fish ladder is inadequate, and that the artificial barrier the dam creates causes incalculable amounts of harm to migratory fish.
