Mining Company Denied Permit for Water from Grave Creek

The state of Oregon has denied a water permit for an Australian mining company that wants to develop a gravel pit along a tributary of the Rogue River. The Oregon Department of Water Resources says there is already too much water being taken out of Grave Creek, which flows into the Rogue at the start of the section that is one of Oregon's most popular whitewater runs. Water rights program manager Tim Wallin says Grave Creek ranks high on a list of waterways needing more water for salmon, and unless Havilah Resources LLC can secure some other water rights to put back in the river, it cannot take out what it needs for mining. A local representative of Havilah did not immediately return a telephone call for comment.