About the Project

A deep ravine, carved by Kelly Creek, winds through the campus of Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon. In the 1960s, the college constructed a 300-foot long, 70-foot-high dam to join the two sides of the campus with a narrow road for light vehicles and pedestrians, while also creating a five-acre pond used for fishing.

Kelly Creek flows into Beaver Creek, which joins the Sandy River, and then flows into the Columbia River, all in the span of just a few miles. The Sandy River and Beaver Creek are the focus of a significant fishery restoration effort, including two prominent dam removals in 2007 and 2008. Species at stake include the federally listed coho salmon, winter steelhead, fall Chinook salmon and eulachon (smelt). Many federal, state, and local agencies, along with nonprofit organizations, are working to restore salmon on the mainstem Sandy River and its tributaries.

In the summers, the Mt. Hood campus pond heats the water flowing downstream. Beaver Creek could provide important spawning and rearing habitat, especially for coho salmon, but this hot water in Kelly Creek limits the fishery’s potential. Removing the dam will cool the creek and allow fish passage to upstream habitat.

The challenges of dam removal include disposal of a large volume of soil, construction of a cross-campus bridge, and loss of the pond. Nonetheless, college administrators and staff recommended dam removal in a recent facilities plan and will use the project to educate students and the surrounding community about water quality and salmon restoration. The project supports Beaver Creek watershed restoration work driven by Multnomah County, the multi-government Metro agency, and the cities of Gresham and Troutdale.