Corps to conduct spillway gate testing at Fall Creek Dam

Dam operators with the Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will open the north spillway gate at Fall Creek Dam to test operational flow conditions Wednesday, April 17.

The primary method to pass water through this dam are through two regulating outlets located near the center of the dam. The two spillway gates, located near the south end of the dam, are used to pass large flows or as back-ups to the regulating outlets.

The dam is currently passing water at a rate of 3,000 cubic feet per second through the regulating outlets. Dam operators will maintain this rate as they open the north spillway gate by reducing the flow through the regulating outlets.

Engineering staff will visually monitor the spillway channel during this operational test to monitor performance and ensure continued safe operations at the dam.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 13 dams in the Willamette Valley were built; to protect people, infrastructure and a way-of-life. We're approaching the 50th commemoration of the Willamette Valley Project, which is marked by the completion of Blue River Dam in 1969, the final dam in the system.