Hult Dam enters summer operations
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Horton, Ore. — Bureau of Land Management engineers visited Hult Dam April 4 to conduct a regular safety inspection and shift from winter to summer operations.
During the wetter winter months, a large valve in Hult Dam is left open to allow heavy seasonal flows of water through the dam. This decreases the risk of the reservoir overtopping (or overflowing) during heavy rains. Overtopping could release an uncontrolled rush of water and debris from the reservoir towards Horton. In the drier months, enough water naturally flows over the spillway to keep the reservoir at a safe level.
The change in operations is a multiple phase effort. Last week, the crew partially closed the valve to reduce, but not stop, the flow of water through the outlet.
“By reducing the water flow gradually, we are encouraging the fish to swim downstream toward deeper water,” said Evan Wernecke, civil engineer for the BLM.
Wernecke and his team closed the valve completely, fully entering summer operations. Water will continue to pour over the dam’s spillway.
“If we get an unexpected late spring storm, we may have to come back and re-open the outlet,” said Cheryl Adcock, Siuslaw Field Manager for the BLM. “Public safety is our first priority, and we don’t want excess water building up behind the aging dam.”
Opening the valve during the winter does not fully mitigate the risk of an overtopping event if an unusually significant rain or rain-on-snow event causes major flooding. In the case of a major flood event, overtopping of Hult Dam could release an uncontrolled rush of water and debris from the reservoir toward Horton.
Hult Dam is more than 70 years old. An earthen dam like Hult has an average life expectancy of only 50 years. The dam could be vulnerable to damage from a large flood event or ground instability. If the dam were to give way, it would release an uncontrolled rush of water downstream, potentially damaging Highway 36 or causing human injury or loss of life.
Due to safety concerns, BLM is evaluating possibilities for reducing the hazard including repairing, replacing, or removing the dam. With public input, the BLM is analyzing possible paths forward in an environmental impact statement. To learn more, please visit https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-in-development/oregon-washington/hult-dam.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.