Big Cliff Dam is a concrete

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...

on the

North Santiam River The North Santiam River is a tributary of the Santiam River in western Oregon in the United States. It drains of the Cascade Range on the eastern side of the Willamette Valley east of Salem. It rises in the high Cascades in eastern Linn count ...

in the western part of the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. The dam spans the Linn County– Marion County border in the

Oregon Cascades The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

. 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 , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

under the Willamette Valley Project which was authorized by the

Flood Control Act of 1938 The Flood Control Act of 1938 was an Act of the United States Congress signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that authorized civil engineering projects such as dams, levees, dikes, and other flood control measures through the Un ...

. It was constructed between March 1949 and May 1953 at the same time as

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 o ...

. Big Cliff is 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 . Big Cliff can generate up to 18 megawatts of power. The dams' operators try to keep the water temperature in the range for ideal fish habitat by mixing water from the top of Detroit Lake with water from the bottom.

References

External links

720p Video 'Tainter gates at Big Cliff Dam'
shot below the gates
USACE Detroit/Big Cliff Dams Interim Temperature Operations Study Phase I Technical Report
(PDF) provides data for water quality, temperature, power generation, salmon egg viability, fish catch rate, etc.
Big Cliff recent telemetry
(PDF) {{Authority control Dams in Oregon Hydroelectric power plants in Oregon Buildings and structures in Linn County, Oregon Buildings and structures in Marion County, Oregon United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Dams completed in 1953 Energy infrastructure completed in 1953 1953 establishments in Oregon Gravity dams Dams in the Columbia Basin