News Release Archive

New Road Opens at Deer Flat Dams in Nampa, Idaho

Media Contact: John Redding, (208) 378-5212, jredding@pn.usbr.gov
Don Rosbaugh Jr., drosbaugh@pn.usbr.gov

For Release: November 27, 2007

The Bureau of Reclamation will have a new road completed by December 1 that will provide permanent public access to the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters. The road across the dam crest was closed to allow for safety modifications to be completed at the Deer Flat Dams Upper Embankment near Nampa, Idaho.

The new road begins at the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and South Indiana Avenue and extends to the refuge headquarters. It replaces the dam crest road which was permanently closed to accommodate construction crews. Safety modifications at the dam are expected to be completed in early 2009.

The modifications at the Upper Embankment are necessary to correct a seepage deficiency identified by Reclamation in 2004. An emergency was declared on May 13, 2005, calling for reservoir restriction levels that remain in place until all safety repairs have been completed on the $6.4 million construction project.

The Deer Flat Dams consists of four earthfill structures referred to as the Upper, Middle, Lower Embankments, and East Dike. They were constructed by Reclamation in 1906-1908. Together, the four structures form Lake Lowell, which is a part of the Boise Project, Arrowrock Division.

Lake Lowell stores about 173,100 acre-feet of water when full and provides irrigation water to 50,350 acres. It also offers recreation and wildlife benefits which are managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the refuge. The Deer Flat Dams are operated by the Boise Project Board of Control.

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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.