Fall Creek Dam on Fall Creek, a tributary of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River
Fall Creek Dam is located at river mile 7.2 on Fall Creek, a tributary of the Willamette River, about 20 miles southeast of Eugene, Oregon. In coordination with Lookout Point and Hills Creek dams, the three dams work together for the purposes of flood risk management, water quality improvement, irrigation, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation.
Carrying out the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) from the 2008 Willamette Project Biological Opinion requires a suite of actions determined necessary to protect ESA-listed Upper Willamette River Spring Chinook salmon and Upper Willamette River Winter Steelhead ESUs. Key actions which apply for all of the project dams covered under the 2008 Opinion include:
- Meeting ramp rates and flow targets for the Willamette River mainstem and tributaries.
- Interim operations to improve conditions for fish passage, spawning, incubation and rearing are being conducted until permanent solutions can be developed and completed.
- Research Monitoring and Evaluation efforts to inform decision making for downstream fish passage, temperature control, and to analyze the effectiveness of actions which have already been undertaken.
In addition, RPA actions for Fall Creek Dam includes:
- Draw-down and operate Fall Creek project at an elevation of 714ft or below to improve passage and survival of juvenile UWR Chinook salmon. Research is being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this action. Learn more...
- Fall Creek adult collection facility rebuild scheduled to be complete and operating by 2016.
More information about this and other Willamette Valley Projects
