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Wikipedia / Detroit Dam

Detroit Dam is a gravity dam on the North Santiam River between Linn County and Marion County, Oregon. It is located in the Cascades, about west of the city of Detroit. It was constructed between 1949 and 1953 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The dam created deep Detroit Lake, more than 9 miles (14km) long with 32 miles (51km) of shoreline.

It is one of the dams authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938. Construction was delayed largely due to World War II. The dam, dedicated on June 10, 1953, was authorized for the purposes of flood control, power generation, navigation, and irrigation. Other uses are fishery, water quality, and recreation. It was built in concert with the Big Cliff Dam downstream.

In 2021, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined that this dam was at risk of failing in a large earthquake in the Cascadia subduction zone, which would result in a "potentially catastrophic flood", which could potentially affect Oregon's state capital, Salem, located downstream. For this reason, the level of the reservoir was lowered by five feet, to reduce the stress on the concrete structure.

Capacity

Source:

  • Drainage area: 437mi2 (1,132km2)

  • Maximum inflow: 63,200ft3/s (1,790 m³/s) 1909

Lake Elevation

  • Maximum pool: 1,574ft (480 m)

  • Full pool: 1,569ft (478 m)

  • Minimum flood control pool: 1,450ft (442 m)

  • Usable storage (1,425.0 to 1,563.5ft) =

Powerhouse

  • Number of units: 2

  • Nameplate capacity: 100 MW

  • Overload capacity: 115 MW

  • Hydraulic capacity: 5,340ft3/s (151 m³/s)

References