Willamette Valley – Middle Fork Willamette Subbasin

Spillway Gates and Reservoir Restrictions

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates 13 dam and reservoir

projects in the Willamette River basin. Each dam contributes to a water
resource management system that provides flood damage reduction,
power generation, water quality improvement, irrigation, fish and wildlife
habitat and recreation on the Willamette River and many of its tributaries.
Since their completion, the dams have cumulatively prevented more than
$20 billion in flood damages to the Willamette Valley.
Although Corps dams only regulate about 27 percent of the water flowing
into the Willamette River, our efforts help reduce flood damage in the
Willamette River Basin, as well the North and South Santiam, McKenzie
and Middle Fork Willamette river tributary basins.
Spillway gates and reservoir restrictions
The Willamette Valley Project operates 42 spillway Tainter gates at 11 of
its dams. Concerns have grown in recent years after inspections identified
overstressed gates and their components. As part of the Corps’ ongoing
dam safety and infrastructure rehabilitation program, the Corps will repair
or replace all 42 Tainter gates over the next several years. Until this work
is completed, the Corps will restrict the amount of water held in the
reservoirs behind Lookout Point, Dexter and Hills Creek dams on the
Middle Fork Willamette River and Fall Creek Dam on Fall Creek to help
ensure safe operation of the spillway gates during flood season, from
November to March. The pool restriction at Lookout Point will remain in
place during conservation season, from April to October.

Project Name Normal Full Pool Restricted Pool

Lookout Point 934 ft.* 915 ft.
Dexter 697.5 ft. 690 ft.
Hills Creek 1,543 ft. 1,529 ft.
Fall Creek 834 ft. 822 ft.
*elevations are feet above sea level

Corps engineers determined that the reduced reservoir levels decrease the stress placed on the gates when the
reservoirs are full, allowing for continued safe operation. Public safety is the Corps’ first priority.
These restrictions serve as interim measures to reduce risk and are not long-term solutions. They are an important step to
minimize the probability of gate failure or other consequences until the Corps can implement a permanent fix.
While the Corps plans to generally operate the dams much the same as in any other flood season, these pool restrictions
reduce each reservoir’s storage capacity and contributes to a systemwide capacity reduction as well. Since the reservoirs
cannot hold as much water during large storms or a series of storms, the Corps may have to release more water. River
flows downstream of the dams, while likely remaining within the banks of the Middle Fork Willamette River and Fall Creek,
could be higher than normal for longer periods, depending on the amount and duration of rain events systemwide.

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS – PORTLAND DISTRICT

P.O. BOX 2946, PORTLAND, OR, 97204-2946
WWW.NWP.USACE.ARMY.MIL