Our Dam Safety program has found that most of our dam’s spillway gates are aging and may not operate properly when water levels are high and placing significant pressure on the gates. This may result in a gate failing to open when desired, or becoming stuck in the open position when attempting to close it. This would limit or perhaps even compromise our ability to control water releases from that dam.
We assessed the gates in 2010, which resulted in the replacement or repair of critical components at Lookout Point, Dexter, Fall Creek and Hills Creek dams. Those repairs, however, do not completely eliminate the risk of uncontrolled releases from those gates.
We continue to pursue the long-term rehabilitation of the gates. All of Big Cliff and Dexter dams' spillway gates have been strengthened. Rehabilitation of Fall Creek and Green Peter dams' gates is in progress and scheduled for completion in February 2016. Work will begin on Lookout Point Dam's spillway gates in July 2015. The need for longer-term gate rehabilitation work remains at four of our other dams.
For more information about the Willamette Valley dams’ gates, see:
Willamette Valley spillway gates: Posters
Willamette Valley spillway gates: Repair status
Willamette spillway gates: YouTube video