US Army Corps of Engineers ®

Recreation Information...

Lost Creek Lake on the Rogue River is located 30 miles northeast of Medford in a beautiful, timbered canyon. Many conservation measures have been enacted to preserve the natural resources of the area and still provide lake recreation. Since the creation of the project, program objectives such as fishery migration, wildlife habitat enhancement, re-vegetation and shoreline erosion control all help meet this resource conservation goal. The upper portion of Lost Creek Lake , upstream of Peyton Bridge , is environmentally sensitive and is preserved as a natural area. It is only accessible by boat or trail users.

Several major public access areas, parks sites, boat ramps and a trail system along 30 miles of shoreline offer leisure-time pleasure for the area's increasing number of residents and visitors. McGregor Park, dedicated in July 1977, was specifically designed for the convenience of visitors with disabilities. Drinking fountains, restrooms and paved spaces provide easy wheelchair use. A visitor center at the park features exhibits about the project and the region. This visitor center is operated in conjuction with Bureau of Land Management, who provides environmental education opportunities. Stewart State Park offers a day-use area, boat ramp and overnight camp sites, some with utilities.

The Cole M. Rivers Fish Hatchery, one of the largest in Oregon, is just downstream from the dam. Built by the Corps and operated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the hatchery can produce 425,000 pounds of trout and salmon annually.

View a map of Lost Creek Recreation Sites (152 kb)

Project Information...

The William L. Jess Dam (formerly Lost Creek Dam), built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was the first completed element of the multi-purpose Rogue River Basin project, consisting of Lost Creek Lake, Applegate Lake and Elk Creek Project. Construction of Lost Creek began in 1972 and was completed in 1977. In 1996, the U.S. Congress renamed Lost Creek Dam, along with the adjoining intake structure, in honor of William L. Jess, one of the founders of the Rogue Basin Association, which was established in 1955. As one of its founders, Mr. Jess was a strong advocate for the construction and multiple use of the impounded waters.

The primary purpose of the dam is flood damage reduction and is operated in conjunction with Applegate Dam to regulate water flows down the river as well as to impound water for summer use. The dam is an earthfill structure with a gated spillway and contains to hydropower generating units.

Other important benefits of the dam are fish and wildlife enhancement, potable water supply, irrigation, water quality and recreation. The technologically advanced and unusual intake tower regulates water temperature by combining lake water from different depths in a mixing chamber before releasing it downstream. This cools the normally warm summer water of the Rogue River , improving conditions for fish migration and survival.

Total kilowatt capacity 49 mw
*National Geodetic Vertical Datum (Mean Sea Level)