News Release
| Release Number: | 03-075 |
| Dated: | 6/4/2003 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore.-The 62-year-old Fern Ridge Dam on the Long Tom River near Monroe and Veneta, Ore., needs repairing. The repair work, as well as the conditions that warrant it, may impact residents living up-and downstream of the dam. Those impacts will be the topic at two public meetings on June 17 and June 18.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host the first meeting at 7 p.m. on June 17 at the Veneta Community Center, 25192 East Broadway. The emphasis of this meting will be on upstream issues. The second meeting will be at 7 p.m. on June 18 at the Monroe High School Commons Room on Hwy 99W on the north end of the city of Monroe. The emphasis on this meeting will be on downstream issues.
The drainage system inside the dam is failing and must be repaired. While Corps representatives will discuss the current investigation and potential drain system repair scenarios, they specifically will focus their discussions on current operations, contingency plans for worst-case scenarios and possible impacts to local residents.
Current information indicates the dam will operate normally and the reservoir will remain full through Labor Day, said Mark Dasso, project manager for the repair project. After Labor Day, however, Fern Ridge Reservoir will be drawn down to its minimum pool and may not refill until the repairs are completed. While work could begin as early as this fall or as late as Spring 2006, Dasso said the actual timeline is dependent upon Congressional funding. To date, none of the requested funds have been received, he said.
"We are aware of and regret any economic impacts these pending repairs might have on the surrounding communities," Dasso said.
The first indication the drainage system was failing came in July 2002 when project personnel noticed a circular depression about 10 feet in diameter on the downstream slope of the dam. In February 2003, two more circular depressions were found directly above drain lines. A tiny video camera let Corps engineers see that lateral drainpipes below the depressions were significantly deteriorated. The Corps continues to monitor the dam on a daily basis.