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Runner replacement at Lookout Point Dam
Caption
Crews remove the old turbine runner from Unit 2 at Lookout Point Dam near Lowell, Ore., and prepare to install its replacement. Replacing the runners on the three hydropower units at the dam will improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs. The project will cost about $25.3 million over the next two years. The work is being done by Voith Hydro of Springfield, Ore. Lookout Point Dam generates up to 120 megawatts of electricity for homes and businesses in the Pacific Northwest.
  • Runner replacement at Lookout Point Dam
  • Runner replacement at Lookout Point Dam
  • Runner replacement at Lookout Point Dam
  • Lookout Point aerial photo
  • Lookout Point Dam and Lake

Lookout Point hydropower

Generators / total output three 146 mw

Lookout Point project data

Dam length 3,381.5ft 1,030.5 m
Height 276 ft 84.1 m
Elevation (NGVD*) 941 ft 286.8 m
Lake length 14.2 mi 22.8 km
Area when full 4,360ac 1,764.5 ha
*National Geodetic Vertical Datum

Contact us about Lookout Point:
General: 541-684-4300
Recreation: 541-942-5631

Email us about Lookout Point

Lookout Point pamphlet

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Lookout Point Dam & Reservoir

Lookout Point Dam

Lookout Point Dam is at river mile 21.3 on the Middle Fork Willamette River, about 22 miles southeast of Eugene, Oregon. It is an earth and gravel-filled dam with concrete gated spillways. Lookout Point was completed in 1954 at a cost of $88.2 million. Since then, it has helped prevent more than $5.3 billion in potential flood damages. Lookout Point Dam has three hydropower generating units capable of producing 50 megawatts each.

In coordination with Hills Creek and Fall Creek dams, the three dams work together for the purposes of flood risk management, water quality improvement, irrigation, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation.

Lookout Point recreation

Day-use parks: Lookout Point Reservoir has one day-use park and one day-use boat ramp operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Both areas have no associated fees but have varying operating time frames. Meridian Park is on the north side of the dam on West Boundary Road. It includes a gravel road and parking area, a vault toilet, picnic tables and a boat ramp with a courtesy dock but ramp access is limited by seasonal water levels. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. until dusk, May 11 - Sept. 9. Signal Point Boat Ramp is on West Boundary Road, 4.9 miles upstream from the dam and 6.3 miles from Lowell. It includes a paved parking lot, a vault toilet and low-water-level paved boat ramp with courtesy dock. For more information about either facility, call the Willamette Valley Project Park Ranger Office at 541-942-5631.

Camping: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates Ivan Oakes Campground at Lookout Point Reservoir. For more information, call the Willamette Valley Project Park Ranger Office at 541-942-5631.

Ivan Oakes Campground: Open May 25 - Sept. 3. Fees: $14 per night, per site; $6 per day, per extra vehicle. Availability: first-come, first-served.

Getting around

Lookout Point map 

Environmental stewardship at Lookout Point Dam

The 7,800 acres that make up Lookout Point are managed cooperatively by the Corps and the Willamette National Forest. The lake and its shoreline provide habitat for a number of rare species, including northern spotted owl, western pond turtles, Chinook salmon, and Oregon chub.  Bald eagles winter and regularly nest at Lookout Point.

The Willamette Valley Environmental Stewardship program focuses on restoring degraded uplands, wetlands and streams on Corps lands. Recent wildlife habitat improvements on Corps lands here center on replacing invasive plants with native trees and shrubs, and restoring hydrology and topography to support native plants and wildlife habitat.

To mitigate impacts of Corps dams on Chinook salmon and the Middle Fork of the Willamette River, the Corps constructed the Willamette Fish Hatchery near Oakridge and the holding ponds downstream of Dexter Dam. These are operated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife with funds provided by the Corps. Additionally, the Corps supports ongoing efforts for the recovery of Oregon chub and bull trout within the Middle Fork Willamette River basin.

Flood risk management at Lookout Point Dam

Conservation season - April to November: Restrict pool elevation to 915 feet.
Flood season - November to March: Restrict pool elevation to 915 feet.

For more information, visit our Water page.
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