US Army Corps of Engineers ®

Lookout Point and Dexter Dams and Reservoirs

The Lookout Point and Dexter Dams, 22 miles southeast of Eugene on the middle fork of the Willamette River, are two of 13 multi-purpose dams operated by the Corps of Engineers in the Willamette Valley.  The two dams operate as a single unit to provide flood control, hydropower generation, irrigation, navigation, downstream water quality improvement, and recreation.  To learn about recreation at Lookout Point and Dexter Lakes, please click here.

Lookout Point Dam, the principal facility, has three hydropower generating units capable of producing 50,000 kilowatts each. Dexter Dam is a re-regulating reservoir located downstream and is used to control water levels created by peak hydropower generation at Lookout Point. By holding back large amounts of water released from Lookout Point then releasing it slowly, Dexter Dam can regulate downstream river fluctuations. There is one generator at Dexter Dam capable of producing 15,000 kilowatts.

Both dams are earth-and-gravel-fill dams with concrete gated spillways. The Project was completed in 1954 at a cost of $88.2 million.

PROJECT DATA

*National Geodetic Vertical Datum (Mean Sea Level)