Central Oregon Irrigation District announced their intent to remove the 100-year-old Cline Falls Dam on the Deschutes River. The dam removal, to be completed with the help of the Upper
Deschutes Watershed Council (UDWC), will allow resident trout and wildlife to migrate naturally through the former dam site, accessing historical river and riparian habitat on the Upper Deschutes.
COID General Manager Craig Horrell said, “The District is committed to improving fish and wildlife habitat. We’re looking forward to working with the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and other stakeholders to remove this dam and open this section of the Deschutes River.”
The District will first develop a budget and schedule for the project. While project costs have yet to be determined, COID has committed to finance a majority of the dams’ removal. Deconstruction is expected to begin in 2016 on the 120-foot long, 5-foot tall concrete and wood dam, which was originally built over 100 years ago. UDWC will offer its considerable experience and expertise in dam removal and habitat restoration to assist the District with this project. In addition to the removal of the dam, the District will also dismantle and remove a head gate, flume, penstock and several smaller buildings.
“Native resident trout and many other species will benefit from the removal of this dam,” stated Ryan Houston, executive director of the Upper Deschutes Watershed Coalition. Houston added, “We are pleased to be working with the District to help enhance habitat and ecological conditions on the Deschutes River.”
Located approximately 15 miles from downtown Bend, the dam and related hydroelectric facilities on the Deschutes River were owned and operated for nearly 100 years by PacifiCorp.
Since 1996, the UDWC has worked to protect and restore the 2,000,000-acre upper Deschutes River watershed through collaborative projects in watershed restoration, monitoring and community awareness.
To learn more about the UDWC, visit, www.upperdeschuteswatershedcouncil.org.
Established in 1900, COID responsibly manages water supplies for local farmers, ranchers, and landowners across 44,000 acres of productive land in Central Oregon. To learn more about COID, visit, www.coid.org.
