Hills Creek Dam is a dam about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Oakridge in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It impounds Hills Creek Reservoir, which has a surface area of 2,735 acres (1,107 ha) and a shoreline of roughly 44 miles (71 km), on the Middle Fork Willamette River.[1]

Brown concrete structure of dam in front of rough V-shape of blue/green water and hills with clear cuts in the background
Aerial view of the dam and reservoir

Constructed in 1961 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the dam's purpose is primarily water storage and flood control, and secondarily for recreation, wildlife and waterfowl conservation, and hydropower generation.[2] The earthen dam has a concrete spillway, stands 304 feet (93 m) high, and impounds 355,500 acre-feet (438,500,000 m3) of water. There are two hydropower-generating units capable of producing a total of 30 megawatts.[3]

The dam is one of 13 USACE projects in the Willamette Valley, including two others further downstream on the Middle Fork Willamette, Lookout Point Lake and Dexter Reservoir.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Hills Creek Reservoir Area". United States Forest Service, Willamette National Forest. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  2. ^ "Hills Creek Dam and Lake". USACE, Columbia Basin Water Management Division. May 31, 2002. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  3. ^ "Building Strong® at Hills Creek Dam and Reservoir". USACE, Portland District. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  4. ^ "The Willamette Valley Project" (PDF). USACE, Portland District. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
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43°42′35″N 122°25′22″W / 43.7096°N 122.4229°W / 43.7096; -122.4229