News Release
| Release Number: | 98-059 |
| Dated: | 7/14/1998 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comments on a proposal to expand McGuire Reservoir, located on the upper Nestucca River in Yamhill County, Ore. Over the next several months, the Corps will prepare to draft an environmental assessment on the proposed expansion. The draft EA will be available for public review later this year and will be used to determine whether a permit will be issued under the requirements of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1977, as amended.
This is your chance to suggest items for the Corps to consider as they prepare to write the EA. The project calls for raising the height of the dam about 30 feet.
The proposed action, initiated by McMinnville Water & Light, is to expand the existing McGuire Reservoir to meet near-term municipal water supply demands for the citizens of the City of McMinnville. In addition, the increased water supply will provide water quality benefits to the Nestucca River through flow augmentation.
Members of the public are invited to comment on the Corps' scoping letter outlining the proposed actions and areas to be investigated. To comment on, or to receive a copy of, this scoping letter, write to: District Engineer, U.S. Army Engineer District - Portland, Attn: CENWP-CO-G (Stuart), P.O. Box 2946, Portland, OR 97208-2946. Written comments should be mailed no later than Aug. 6, 1998. Questions may be directed to Jan Stuart, Regulatory Branch, at (503) 808-4381. Please refer to Corps ID number 97-1567 in any correspondence.
Currently, the Corps proposes to address the following elements in the EA: physical environment - geology and soils, air quality, noise, hydrology, water quality, and erosion and sedimentation; biological environment - fisheries, vegetation, wildlife, threatened and endangered species, sensitive species, wetlands, and riparian upland buffers; and cultural environment - recreation, social and economic conditions, cultural resources, land use, water supplies and demands, and historic and archaeological resources.
In addition to comments sent directly to the Corps, interested people can attend a public information meeting sponsored by the McMinnville Water & Light, project sponsor, on July 27 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at 855 Marsh Lane in McMinnville.
The existing dam and reservoir were constructed from 1968 to 1969 to supplement the City of McMinnville's water supply from the Haskins Creek Watershed to meet increasing water demands. The dam is a composite earth and rock fill structure with a maximum height above the original ground of approximately 78 feet. At the maximum water surface elevation of 1,875 feet, the total storage volume in the reservoir created by the dam is about 3,760 acre-feet and the surface area is approximately 138 acres.
The proposed project would raise the dam by about 30 feet to about elevation 1,905 feet. This would raise the reservoir from elevation 1,865 feet to elevation 1,895 feet; and would increase the inundation area from 138 acres to about 260 acres. About 9,800 acre-feet of water could be stored behind the raised dam.
Additional project components associated with the reservoir expansion include reconstructing the spillway, outlet tower and outlet/drain piping; upgrading the outlet transfer piping; relocating a portion of an existing gravel road; relocating a portion of Nestucca River Road; and excavating.