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Building Strong® at Fall Creek Dam and Reservoir

Fall Creek Dam and LakeFall Creek Dam is at river mile 7.2 on Fall Creek, a tributary of the Willamette River, about 20 miles southeast of Eugene, Ore.

 

Fall Creek Dam is a rockfill structure with a gated concrete spillway and outlet works for regulating lake levels. The dam was completed in 1966 at a cost of $22 million. During flood season, the dams hold back water to regulate downstream flows. Fall Creek Lake provides 115,100 acre-feet of storage and controls runoff from 184 square miles of drainage area.

 

Fall Creek Dam works in coordination with Lookout Point and Hills Creek dams to provide flood risk management, water quality improvement, irrigation, recreation, and habitat for fish and wildlife.


Link to PDF version of Fall Creek Dam map graphic

For more information

Fall Creek pamphlet 

Contact us about Fall Creek:
General: 541-684-4300
Recreation: 541-942-5631

Email us about Fall Creek

Willamette Valley Project images

Fall Creek project data

Dam length 5,100 ft 1,554.5 m
Height 205 ft 54.9 m
Elevation (NGVD*) 839 ft 255.7 m
Lake length 6.8 mi 10.9 km
Area when full 1,820 ac 736.5 ha
*National Geodetic Vertical Datum

Fall Creek recreation

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Open all year, closed daily from dusk to 8:00 a.m., no fee.
This minimally developed area includes:

  • Fall Creek access
  • gravel parking lot
  • hiking trail
  • vault toilet

For more information about this day-use area, call the Corps at (541) 942-5631.

Sky Camp is a private resident camp for educational purposes. The caretaker can be reached at 541-937-3355.

There are seven parks managed by the State of Oregon. For more information, call 541-937-1173 or visit the Oregon State Parks web page, http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_241.php.

For more information, call 541-937-1173 or visit the Oregon State Parks website, http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_241.php

 or click the link below.

For more information, call 541-937-1173 or visit the Oregon State Parks website, http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_241.php

 or click the link below.

For more information, call 541-937-1173 or visit the Oregon State Parks website, http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_241.php
For more information, call 541-937-1173 or visit the Oregon State Parks website, http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_241.php

Fall Creek map

Operations: Fall Creek

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The Fall Creek uplands and lake provide more than 3,500 acres of habitat for a wide variety of wildlife including   waterfowl, upland game birds, song birds, bald eagles, osprey, black-tailed deer and other species. Rare species found here include salmon, red-legged frogs, and western pond turtles. Western bluebirds and other songbirds breed in nest boxes maintained by the Corps.

 

The Willamette Valley Environmental Stewardship program focuses on restoring degraded uplands, wetlands and streams on Corps lands. Recent efforts to improve habitat quality for wildlife on Corps’ lands center on replacement of exotic and invasive plants with native trees and shrubs, and restoration of hydrology and topography to support native plant communities and wildlife habitat.

 

To mitigate impacts of Fall Creek Dam on Chinook salmon, the Corps operates an adult fish collection facility at the base of the dam. The facility collects returning salmon and Corps personnel transport them upstream to spawn. The Corps also promotes resident fisheries within Fall Creek in cooperations with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Additionally, the Corps supports ongoing efforts for recovery of the Oregon chub within the Fall Creek basin.

Conservation season: April to November: None.
Flood season: November to March: Restrict pool to 822 feet.

For more information, visit our Water page.