News Release Archive

Reclamation Seeks Comment on the Proposed Milltown Hill Project in Oregon

Media Contact: John Redding, (208) 378-5212, jredding@pn.usbr.gov
Robert Hamilton, rhamilton@pn.usbr.gov

For Release: August 14, 2006

The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking public comments through September 8 on the proposed Milltown Hill Project which involves building a dam on Elk Creek in Douglas County, Ore. Douglas County recently decided to reactivate its Small Reclamation Projects Act loan and grant application, originally approved in 1994.

The county's loan program application was approved following the completion of a 1992 Environmental Impact Statement and a subsequent Record of Decision, but the project was never constructed. The proposed dam is a 186-foot high roller-compacted concrete structure that would create a 24,143-acre-foot reservoir on Elk Creek, a tributary of the Umpqua River.

The project was not built for a variety of reasons, but a major consideration was the requirement to provide fish passage facilities for the Umpqua River cutthroat trout which at that time was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Since then, the species has been de-listed and is not considered endangered under ESA.

Because of the length of time since the 1992 EIS was completed and the Record of Decision signed, a Supplemental EIS will be prepared that updates the original document as needed.

Public comments on the proposal will assist Reclamation in determining issues to be included in the Supplemental EIS and may help in developing alternatives to the proposed action. No scoping meetings are planned at this time, but a scoping letter describing the project is available by contacting Robert Hamilton at (208) 334-5087, or by email at Milltownhill@pn.usbr.gov. Information on the project is available at http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/eis/milltown/index.html.

Comments will be accepted through September 8, at the above e-mail address, or by mail to Mr. Robert Hamilton, Regional Loan Engineer, Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Region, 1150 North Curtis Road, Suite 100, Boise ID 83706-1234.

# # #

The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.

Relevant Link:

http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/eis/milltown/index.html