Kellogg Dam

Enhance watershed function

About the Project

Kellogg Dam is a 16-foot-high, 22-foot-wide concrete dam on Kellogg Creek where it meets the Willamette River in Oregon. Built in 1857 to power a flour mill, the dam has not been used for any water-related purpose since 1890. An aging highway bridge spans the dam, so removing the dam also requires bridge replacement

The dam’s dysfunctional fish ladder prevents passage for coho, Chinook, steelhead, lamprey, and cutthroat for all but a few days a year when the river stage is high enough. Removing the dam will enable fish to reach spawning areas in the Kellogg Creek-Mount Scott Creek watershed and open the creek system for foraging and rearing. Upstream fish barrier removal projects have increased the habitat value of the dam removal project. The project benefits overall Willamette River fishery restoration and is ranked in the state’s top 20 percent of dam removal projects by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs and the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde are actively working on fishery restoration in the Willamette watershed; this project supports their work.

Oregon Department of Transportation is leading the bridge replacement and dam removal design, and will consider integrating bicycle and pedestrian paths. The City of Milwaukie supports replacing the aging bridge, restoring salmon to the creek, and opening the area to more recreational access. The dam also impounds a lake that is full of sediment and contaminated by urban and industrial runoff.

FACTS AT A GLANCE
Owner: Oregon Department of Transportation
Size: 16 feet high, 22 feet wide
Project Cost: $17-19 million
ORF Investment: Restoration design and permitting
Miles Opened: 15 miles
Fish: ESA-listed fall and spring Chinook, coho, winter steelhead; non-listed lamprey and cutthroat trout
Status: Project currently in planning and design phase


RESOURCES
OUTCOMES
  • Open 9.5 miles of salmonid spawning and rearing habitat in short supply in lower Willamette River
  • Reconnect Kellogg Creek and Mount Scott Creek with the Willamette River
  • Reduce water temperature in Kellogg Creek and Willamette River
  • Restore 14 acres of the lake and surrounding vegetation for recreation and other uses
  • Add bike lanes and other safety improvements to the bridge replacement
  • Reduce safety and liability concerns resulting from the bridge and contaminated sediment in the lake
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Project Partners

North Clackamas Watershed Council

Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs

Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde

City of Milwaukee

Oregon Department of Transportation

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration