| Willamette Reservoir Study |
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| Purpose |
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The thirteen federal reservoirs in the middle and upper Willamette Basin were authorized for construction beginning in the late 1930s. The combined storage capacity is over 1.6 million acre-feet. The projects provide important benefits of flood control, generation of electricity and water storage. Recreational use at many of the reservoirs is significant and releases provide instream benefits for fish, wildlife, navigation and water quality. Only a small percentage of the total storage is currently under contract for irrigation.
Population growth, increasing development, expanding irrigation and listing under the Endangered Species Act will place new demands on the reservoirs and could effect project operations. The study will determine to what extent the reservoirs may help to meet future water demands in the valley and if changes in project authorizations are necessary to meet those needs.
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| Program Implementation |
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The Willamette Reservoir Study is a cooperative cost-shared study with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Funding for the study has been provided by the federal government, the State of Oregon and more than 60 cities, special districts, organizations and commercial and industrial firms. The study will determine if operational changes or modifications in the allocation of stored water would better serve present and future resource needs in the basin.
The major challenge of the Willamette Basin Reservoir Study will be to identify ways to balance competing demands and help meet future water needs in the valley while retaining those aspects of current operations that people value today and in the future. Work on the study has been delayed to allow consultation with federal fish management agencies regarding the impacts of reservoir operations on fish, wildlife and plant species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Corps´ 2001 progress report (PDF 64 KB) provides a discussion the work that has been completed in the study and the options for future work.
The Bureau of Reclamation administers the contracts for the use of water stored in the Willamette Basin projects and has issued a status report (PDF 9 KB) on its ESA consultation and contracting activities.
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| Links and Resources |
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Willamette Basin Reservoirs (PDF 2.1 MB)
Apr 1998
Willamette Basin Reservoir Study - 2001 Update (PDF 64 KB)
Army Corps of Engineers, December 2001
Status of Bureau of Reclamation Contracts (PDF 9 KB)
Bureau of Reclamation
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