First Friday: Army Corps Operations in the Willamette Basin

Presentation: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Operations in the Willamette Basin with emphasis on the Santiam Basin

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) operates and maintains a system of 13 dams and reservoirs within the Willamette River basin of northwestern Oregon. Each dam contributes to a water resource management system providing flood risk management, hydroelectric power generation, water quality improvement, irrigation and municipal water supply, recreation, and ecosystem habitat benefits on the Willamette River and many of its tributaries (authorizations). System operations often require balancing across the multiple authorized purposes. Achieving this balance is complex and has changed over the life of the Willamette Project. Often, objectives to support one fish life history, species, or authorized purposes conflict with another. This presentation will provide background on the system, review existing operations, and explore future changes to the system.

Presenter: Greg Taylor, Supervisory Fisheries Biologist, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)