Country United States Status Operational Height 58 m Surface area 52 ha Impound North Santiam River | Purpose Power Type of dam Concrete gravity Opened 1953 Construction began 1949 | |
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Location Linn County–Marion County, Oregon Opening date 1953; 64 years ago (1953) Owner United States Army Corps of Engineers Similar Detroit Dam, Niagara County Park, Foster Dam, Cougar Dam, Lookout Point Dam | ||
North santiam river oregon mehama mill city big cliff dam detroit dam detroit idanha
Big Cliff Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the North Santiam River in the western part of the U.S. state of Oregon. The dam spans the Linn County–Marion County border in the Oregon Cascades.
Contents
- North santiam river oregon mehama mill city big cliff dam detroit dam detroit idanha
- Map of Big Cliff Dam Gates OR 97346 USA
- 4k big cliff dam
- References
Map of Big Cliff Dam, Gates, OR 97346, USA
The dam's primary functions are flood control, power generation, irrigation, fish habitat, water quality improvement, and recreation. It is one of 13 dams created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Willamette Valley Project which was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938.
It was constructed between March 1949 and May 1953 at the same time as Detroit Dam. Big Cliff is 2.7 miles (4.3 km) river distance below Detroit Dam at river mile 47 of the North Santiam River.
Big Cliff smooths river flow resulting from power generation fluctuations of Detroit Dam, a practice known as river re-regulation. Big Cliff Reservoir, primarily known as Big Cliff Lake, has daily depth variations of up to 24 feet (7.3 m).
Big Cliff can generate up to 18 megawatts of power.
The dams' operators try to keep the water temperature in the 50 to 59 °F (10 to 15 °C) range for ideal fish habitat by mixing water from the top of Detroit Lake with water from the bottom.