About the Project

John Day River is the longest undammed river in Oregon. Bates Pond Dam is a 26-feet-tall, 320-feet-wide earthen dam located on Bridge Creek, an important coldwater tributary to the Middle Fork John Day River. The dam and pond were built in 1949 and are relics of a logging town and mill that was abandoned in 1975. In 2008, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department acquired the land and in 2011, opened a state park and campground.

Bates Pond Dam blocks salmon and steelhead passage into 8 miles of habitat on Bridge Creek and its tributaries. Bates Pond also creates water quality issues in the Middle Fork of the John Day River from the release of the warm water from the shallow impoundment. Warm water in the John Day River generally, and in the upper reaches of the Middle Fork specifically, has been identified as a significant limiting factor for salmon and steelhead restoration in the watershed.

In 2014, state, local, and federal agencies; Tribes; and many nonprofit organizations formed the John Day Partnership to jointly create and execute a comprehensive basin plan to increase the pace, scale, and impact of watershed restoration. In 2015, Oregon Consensus led a stakeholder process that engaged a range of community voices to find a solution for Bates Pond. Because dam removal would have eliminated the historically significant recreational pond, the community instead agreed on an innovative solution that would both preserve the pond and improve passage for fish and cold water. The selected approach is to construct a 1,300-foot bypass channel that will route the majority of Bridge Creek flow around Bates Pond, and improve the dam’s fish ladder to provide year-round fish passage. The project is expected to go to construction in 2026.