Hills Creek Dam is located at river mile 47.8 on the Middle Fork Willamette River, four miles southwest of Oakridge, Ore.
Hills Creek Dam is an earthfill structure with a gated concrete spillway and outlet works for regulating lake levels. The dam was completed in 1961 at a cost of $46 million, and has since prevented more than $3.2 billion in potential flood damages. The reservoir controls runoff of a 390-square-mile drainage area, and the dam has two hydropower generating units capable of producing a total of 30 megawatts.
Hills Creek Dam works in coordination with Lookout Point, Dexter and Fall Creek dams to provide flood risk management, water quality improvement, irrigation, fish and wildlife habitat, and recreation.